You and Me
by ThyLaSlain
Summary: [SasuNaru] 7 years have passed and Sasuke finds himelf back in Konoha. He's changed. But so has everything else...
1. Unexpected

**Overall rating: **R - NC-17 _(Any NC-17 will be posted elsewhere; links will be provided)_

**Summary:** Uchiha Sasuke has returned to Konohagakure. He's changed of course. But so has everything else...

**SPOILERS:** Up to current in Anime (i.e. Episode 135).  
**Pairing:** Uchiha Sasuke x Uzumaki Naruto Others may be mentioned  
**Chapter Rating:** PG-13  
_**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all related characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto -- i.e. They are not mine._

**AN: **My First SasuNaru, non-drabble. teehee. Be kind, ne?

* * *

**- I -  
Unexpected **

No one had expected Sasuke to come back on his own accord. Least of all himself. Yet here he was, standing in front of the gates of Konohagakure. And at noon, no less. It hardly seemed to be his style; to return at noon. But then, he mused, it would have been expected, so clichéd, if he returned in the dark of the night. The two ANBU stationed at the gates recognized him immediately and he smirked. He did not know these two. Two more came from behind him.

Cocking his head to one side, it took Sasuke a moment to recognize the two new ANBU – he had not really been paying attention – one through his chakra signature that he no doubt allowed Sasuke to notice, and the other by the dog next to him.

"Hyuuga. Inuzuka. Tadaima."

Tsunade looked at the Uchiha, not much surprise in her eyes and surprisingly, not much anger either. There was not much of anything in the hazel depths. Not even a mild curiosity. Just, a knowing. It annoyed Sasuke to no end. She let out a sigh and, intertwining her fingers together, rested her chin on the platform her hands now provided for her.

"Well." Was all she said, and was all she had said so far.

When he had been ushered into her office by the two who had met him at the gate she was in the middle of a meeting between two of the Senior Advisors of Konoha. She had merely glanced at Sasuke before telling him – or rather, Neji and Kiba, to have him wait outside since she was busy right now.

Sasuke had felt insulted and the Hyuuga had picked up on it. He heard the Hyuuga snort through his mask.

"What, Uchiha? You had expected a welcoming ceremony?" The Hyuuga chuckled.

Sasuke felt his sharingan activating itself as he glared at the other doujutsu user. He knew, that behind the mask, Neji did not so much as flinch. Rather, he could almost hear the man's smirk.

He had then turned his gaze upon Kiba, who up to that point, had not said nor done much. Immediately, Kiba had gone into a defensive stance and Sasuke found himself smirking before he turned away and looked at the door. As he had done so, it had opened with the two Senior Advisors stepping out and a gesture from Tsunade to step inside. Neither Neji nor Kiba had followed him.

"Well." She repeated again.

She regarded him for a moment, nodded slightly to herself before standing up and gesturing to a corner of her office.

"Tea?" She asked.

He shook his head then. She shrugged and poured herself a cup, with the grace and deftness women of high ranked families were taught. Turning to him once again, she sipped her tea, looking at him over the rim of her cup. After a moment, she brought the cup down and she leaned against the tea table, her stance relaxed. Then, she asked the one question Sasuke had expected least. In fact, he had not been expecting it at all.

"How have you been?"

There was a warmth in the question and Sasuke did not know how to react. He opened his mouth to answer but then shut it again. He looked, for a moment, like a fish gulping for air, before he regained his composure and he steeled himself.

"Fine."

Tsunade's eyes left his as she set her cup back down behind her.

"Hai. Hai." She said softly, as she did so.

She looked back at him, a sorrow in her eyes that lingered before leaving them. He furrowed his brow. She pushed off of the table she had been leaning on and took her place in front of him, in her chair.

"Word gets around fast. I didn't know it would be this fast though." She whispered, mostly to herself as she gazed at the papers on her table.

Sasuke was perplexed but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to sound like an ignorant idiot. She raised her eyes up to him and Sasuke nearly stumbled back at the sight of tears there. She blinked and they fell but no more followed.

"It's good of you to come see him, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widened in confusion and he did nothing to hide it.

"What?" He asked, taking a step back before cursing the show of weakness.

Any thought of that though, was wiped out of his mind as the Godaime's eyes widened in shock.

"You don't know? About Naruto?" She said, standing and reaching out to him, as if readying herself to restrain him, if need be.

"What? What about the dobe?"

He didn't want to admit it, but something inside him had jumped slightly at the mention of the name he had pushed almost totally out of his mind.

"What? What about him?" He demanded again.

Tsunade was moving around her desk now, and all Sasuke could do was stand still. The same thing inside him that had jumped was icing over now and he felt a shiver go up and down his spine several times.

As Tsunade's words left her lips, Sasuke felt numb and he thought to himself, as his eyes went in and out of focus: _So this is why I came back_. Many words, sentences maybe even pages of them, were being said by Tsunade.

He heard none of them. He had only heard the first.

That was when, inexplicably, his head had started spinning but the rest of him had stayed still.

"He's dying." 


	2. Unchanging

**Chapter Rating: **G - PG-13

**To My Reviewers:  
The Lazy Fairy: **I swear, I should stop writing angst. I write too much of it. Just TOO damned MUCH of it. :-S  
**yakamashi: **teehee you made my day:-D I dunno how this is gonna turn out. since. well. I swear. Sasuke's so STUBBORN.  
**sanzo: **I'll try not to kill him for you. :-)  
**TenshiKaitou: **Hm...we'll have to see, ne? Anyway, if he does, IF he does, he won't be doing it in this chapter. lol. dying, i mean.  
**Raina: **thanks.  
**RuByMoOn17: **Hope this is soon enough. lol. i doubt.  
**guaebah24: **Yeah. that was my exact reaction when i typed it up. lol.  
**goingcommando: **raised eyebrow very interesting alias...I think it'll inspire me to write a lemony. muwahahha. ahem anyway...er...thank you very very much for the review, i really appreciated it.  
**silent laugh: **hehe. arigatou.  
**Rosemarykiss: **I SWEAR it wasn't me...it...it...IT WAS SASUKE! HE'S THE REASON WHY NARU-CHAN'S ALL DYING!...it has NOTHING to do with the stupid plot i came up in my head in which naruto is dying. NOTHING, i tell you!  
**srusse87: **If I get you a naruto plushie, will the hole go away? sniffles

Thank you guys SO much for the reviews. you don't know how much they spur me on. :-D  
**

* * *

**

**- II -  
Unchanging **

Dying. Sasuke could never really put Naruto and _that word_ together in the same sentence – especially if that sentence consisted of three words, in the order of 'Naruto', 'is' and 'Dying'.

He wasn't really sure why, but sick bile was creeping up his throat now. Tsunade had let him leave her office unaccompanied. Against her better judgment, he was sure. But he was grateful to the Godaime although he'd pretty much be damned before he admitted it.

Right then, he needed to think.

The Uchiha manor loomed over him and all thoughts of a short blonde, blue-eyed loud-mouth were wiped from his thoughts. Vaguely, at the back of his mind, he noted that a lifetime ago, the afore-mentioned loud-mouth would wipe out thoughts of this place. That the afore-mentioned loud-mouth was the only one who could. The only one who would.

Seven years had passed since he had left and still, the novelty of wanting to throw up every time he entered the manor was still there. The taste of blood and tears were sour at the back of his throat.

He moved silently through the house, not really looking around. Just walking. He shut his eyes. He knew this place like he knew his hand seals. He knew it better than anywhere else.

So he walked with eyes shut. Shut. Because then, he wouldn't see. Wouldn't see the bloodstains on the walls, that weren't even there at all.

He stopped at the end of one hall and raised his hand to press a palm against a door and was surprised when his hand touched air. Opening his eyes, he saw that the door was open.

This door was always closed. Always always closed. Sasuke had always made sure of that.

Keeping the door closed separated it from the rest of the world. Separated it from the rest of everything. Somehow, looking into the bedroom that used to be his parents', it felt that all of it – all of the screams and the _please, please stop! What are you _doing_? What are you _doing – had spilled out.

Sasuke reeled back slightly before turning around and leaving the way he had come back in.

The small apartment within the Uchiha compound that Sasuke had taken up was as cold as he had left it. Cold in all senses of the word.

Dust gathered everywhere and there was a moment of nostalgia which was pushed aside forcefully by Sasuke. The taste of sick still lingered at the back of his throat and it did not mix well with memories.

His bedroom was just as he had left it. But…different, somehow. He glanced over at his windowsill and froze. The picture frame that held the photo of team seven, stood upright, facing the window. Walking over to it, he did not touch the frame. Almost afraid to touch it. He didn't want to leave his mark on it. That would somehow betray his cause. It would bring him back to where he didn't want to be.

It was true; he had come back to Konohagakure. But he had no intention of staying. He didn't really know what had brought him to this place in the first place. At least, he hadn't. Not until the Godaime had brought him the news of Naruto.

Thinking of Naruto in this place, chosen specifically because this apartment block had been empty, always empty and therefore had never housed an Uchiha before Sasuke had moved in, tainted it. White walls were stained now and as he looked, they weren't stained red. But they were stained alright.

He looked back at the picture frame. If he leaned forward, just a little, he could see the photo. A gust of wind ruffled through his hair.

It was only now that he realized that the window was open. Looking outside, he remembered the one thing he liked about this room. It looked out to the rest of Konoha and not at the rest of the Uchiha compound.

Konohagakure had changed very little. At least, at first glance. But looking at it closer, there were fewer buildings than he remembered. It was to be expected. The war that had broken out roughly four years after his leaving had lasted for two. It was, overall, very impressive that Konohagakure was in the state it was in, so soon after the war.

To an outsider, very little signs of weakness and loss were shown by the village. But Sasuke was not an outsider. Seven years was not enough time to sever yourself from the place you had grown up in. A place as unchanging, as unfaltering as Konohagakure. And perhaps Sasuke was not the sentimental type – although now, he was beginning to think otherwise and he cursed himself for it – but this place held too much for him to simply forget it.

Sasuke was not an outsider and he saw it. The loss the village suffered. The sorrow on people's faces as they walked past. The shops that were closed because owners had perished during the war. Or had the ones they lived for perish in the war. Houses whose windows and doors had always been open to the public were shut now. Even in broad daylight.

People were healing. Or trying to. Sasuke had to smirk and feel sorry for all of them.

People rarely ever healed.

Just look at him.

Sasuke closed the window and then wish he hadn't.

The window reflected the picture frame and now, he could see the photograph. It was new.

Sasuke picked up the picture frame. There were no sparks and Sasuke did not feel the world around him swallow him whole. He turned the picture frame around to see the photograph.

There was a Kakashi, eye curved up into an inverted U that signaled his smile. A Sakura, fifteen, maybe sixteen. She was pretty enough. Her smile was wide and gorgeous as she stood in front of Kakashi. To her right, was a Naruto.

Sasuke stared at the photo. Naruto wasn't smiling. Perhaps the photographer had caught him unaware, but Naruto wasn't even looking at the camera at all. He had his head slightly turned away from the camera, tilted backwards. Sasuke could see how the boy had grown. At sixteen, Naruto's features had strengthened and hardened. He saw the prominence of the other's jaw. He noted the orange jumpsuit that had black added to it. Naruto was gazing out, past the borders of the photograph, an intensity captured in the luminous blue eyes. He seemed to gaze out, past the brown wooden frame and into a world Sasuke could not see.

Then, to Sakura's left, a scowling, twelve year old Sasuke. Sasuke nearly dropped the frame. A hole had been cut out of the photograph and put atop the old team seven portrait. There, Sasuke, unchanged by time, stood next to his grown team mates.

This was definitely Sakura's doing. He found his eyes traveling back over the image of the pink-haired kunoichi but his eyes did not stay there. They went past her sweet smile and Kakashi's masked grin to settle on the unsmiling blond, who, according to Tsunade, was dying.

In the photograph, Naruto did not look like he was ill. Far from it. He looked incredibly well. But not happy. Sasuke wished that he had been there. He wished he had been there, so he could see what Naruto could and he couldn't. He wanted to see what was holding Naruto's attention like that.

He put the frame, facedown, back on the windowsill. He hesitated for a moment, before bringing the frame upright, back to its original position, facing out the window.

As Sasuke left the room, he turned around just in time to see the window open and the frame falling forward. A _crack_ signaled the breaking of glass and Sasuke felt a slight shudder go through him. He did not go back into the room to close the window or set the frame upright again.

He would be sleeping in an inn tonight.


	3. Unknowing

**Chapter Rating: **G - PG-13

**To My Reviewers:  
srusse87: **n.n Suspense is what i DO! Here, have a sasu plushie with that naruto. hehehehe  
**Jenniyah: **Er, can't tell you what he's dying from. How bout I just say heartbreak? lol  
**yakamashi: **0.o Mkay. I'll kill him. But when fangirls come to kill me, I'll blame you, mkay?  
**kkoganai: **Hahahahaha! I don't believe I typed that! I wasn't concentrating and studying for a biology exam. Must have been on my mind. I meant luminous! CRAP. lol. I'm so sorry. Thanks so much for pointing that out to me. I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. lol.  
**Dreams raven: **Thank you so much:-D Yes. this story was written on the sole intent of making SASUKE!TEME suffer. muwahahahahaha.

**AN: **n.n Once again, thanks for the reviews, they really do encourage me to write more! Sorry for publishing the last chapter twice. It was coz deleted it for some reason...or maybe it just disappeared on its own. _Glossary at bottom of page._

* * *

**- III -  
Unknowing**

At close to three in the morning, Sasuke found himself gazing up at a cracked ceiling which was being held up by walls whose paint seemed to want nothing to do with them. The paint was gone in places, revealing dull gray.

Sasuke couldn't sleep. How could he? The inn he had chosen was the worst that Konohagakure provided. It was right at the outskirts of the village and he felt sure he was the only one staying here. Although the solitude was always a plus with Sasuke, the state the room was in, put Sasuke off from sleep.

Turning to his side, he stared at the cracks in the walls. He remembered staying in worse.

_"Move, teme!" _

_"Shut up, dobe." Was all Sasuke said. _

_He didn't move. _

_He felt a hard shove at his side. _

_"MOVE!" A harder shove followed. _

_"If you don't like it so much, why don't you sleep with Sensei?" Sasuke huffed, sitting up and glaring down at the boy next to him. _

_Naruto pouted. _

_"Ne, Sasuke…" Naruto dropped his voice a few notches. "You know Sensei…he's…he's…a complete pervert!" _

_Even in the dark Sasuke could see the crimson that burned Naruto's cheeks. Sasuke wondered for a moment why Naruto was looking so indignant. Almost as if he was recalling something their Sensei had – _

_"WHAT THE--!" Sasuke suddenly found himself on the floor. _

_He heard muffled laughter come from the bed above him. He was just about to beat the living daylights out of Naruto when he heard a stirring from Kakashi's bed. He froze and the laughter that was coming from Naruto ceased immediately as both boys tried their very best not to breathe too loud. _

_Kakashi was notorious for being a light sleeper. Having been ANBU and all. Heck, for being a Ninja in general. But when Kakashi was woken up in the middle of the night for reasons other than to possibly kill an intruder/attacker/etc. he was left in a deadly mood. _

_When Kakashi didn't appear to be waking up any time soon, both boys let out the breaths they were both holding. Sasuke kept his eyes trained on their Sensei, one knee on the bed and the fist that had been raised to punch Naruto on the face was unclenched and resting on the covers, helping to keep his balance. _

_He felt someone touch his arm. He looked down and saw Naruto pick off an insanely large dust bunny off of his arm. _

_"God Sasuke. What the hell is down there?" Naruto whispered, picking off another. _

_Sasuke jumped back slightly and began dusting himself off. When he was more or less sure that he was free from the hated dust bunnies, He got slowly back into bed. _

_Immediately, Naruto began complaining. _

_"Just _shut up_, Naruto! Just shut up! You're not the only one who had a long day, okay? We _both_ need sleep. So shut up! It's not _my_ fault you have a fat ass! Baka." _

_"Whaaa! Take that back! I'm not the one here with a fat ass. So take that back!" _

_"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke muttered, moving to his side so his back was to Naruto. _

_Naruto was quiet for a moment before shoving Sasuke hard. He didn't fall off the bed though. _

_"Take it back, teme!" _

_"Take _what_ back?" Sasuke was ready to kill Naruto. _

_"The last part." Naruto said lamely. _

_"No. I'm not taking back what I know is true." _

_"Why I ought to –" _

_"Shut. Up." Then, under his breath, he added, "What I would _give_ to be with anyone but _you_." _

_This time, when Naruto fell silent, he stayed that way. He shoved Sasuke only once but then stopped. _

_Although it was hot – Sasuke had kicked the blankets off of him – Naruto had grabbed the blanket and had it wrapped around him. Sasuke found it strange. _

_"Dobe, you're going to melt." _

_Naruto did not reply. _

_After a while, Naruto's silence began to bother Sasuke. Especially when he _knew_ Naruto was awake. Sure, he had wanted the dobe to shut up. But he had never really expected him to comply. _

_"Oi, dobe. What's up with you?" _

_He twisted himself around, so that he was still technically lying on his side but his upper body was turned to face Naruto. He was surprised to see that Naruto's back was not to him. He was met with blue eyes. _

_Naruto only looked at him, before answering. _

_"It's not like I _want_ to be with you either, O' high and mighty _Uchiha_. It's not like I _chose_ to be on _your_ team." _

_"God, Uzumaki. Stop being such a girl about this." _

_"You have a serious problem, Sasuke. Then you'll see. You'll see." _

_"What, dobe, what'll I see?" _

_Naruto didn't answer, only turned so he was lying on his back. Sasuke turned as well, still lying on his side but facing Naruto. He jabbed Naruto hard in the ribs. Naruto flinched but didn't react, his eyes trained on the ceiling. _

_"This room stinks pretty bad." Naruto whispered. _

_Naruto was right about that. Sasuke could barely breathe. Afraid the stench would contaminate his body. _

_"Don't change the subject." He muttered. _

_"From the looks of it, floor's pretty dirty too." _

_"I said don't change the subject! What'll I see!" _

_Naruto turned his head so he was looking at Sasuke in the eye. _

_"You'll be alone." _

_Sasuke blinked a few times before scoffing. _

_"Too late." _

_Now, it was Naruto's turn to scoff. _

_"For a genius, you're pretty stupid." _

_"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Sasuke pressed a hand on Naruto's bare shoulder as the other boy was about to turn so he wasn't facing Sasuke anymore. _

_"Don't touch me, Sasuke." Naruto said, shoving Sasuke's hand roughly off of his shoulder. _

_"What the hell does that supposed to mean!" Sasuke demanded again. _

_"It means I don't want you touching me." Naruto said, turning. _

_"You _know_ that I didn't mean _that_, baka." _

_"I'm just saying, teme, that you're pretty stupid." _

_Before Sasuke could say anything, Naruto continued. _

_"You're just throwing it all away. One day, you're going to throw everything away. You'll see. You're going to throw everything away. And for nothing. For a nothing that you'll probably think is everything." _

At the time, Sasuke had thought that what Naruto had said was the most stupid thing he'd ever heard. Looking back, he cringed, knowing that Naruto had never been more right in his entire life.

o-o-o-o-o

Dawn found Sasuke leaning on the railings off the bridge team seven congregated on every morning, waiting for their sensei. Below him, his reflection gazed up at him, expression as hard as stone.

A familiar chakra signature behind him signaled the presence of someone before the tiny gasp did. Sasuke didn't straighten up until Sakura was a few feet away from him.

"Sas-sasuke?"

It was only then did he turn to face her.

"Sakura."

It felt funny, strange, saying her name. Like her name was foreign. Still, it slid off his tongue easily. The kunoichi had…improved; for lack of a better word. Her hair was still cropped short, but…her features had matured and perhaps, if Sasuke had been anyone else, he may have called her quite pretty. But he wasn't anyone else.

"Sasuke. Tsunade-sama had told me you'd come back." Sakura whispered.

It was only then that Sasuke realized. The honorific from his name was gone. There was no 'kun' anymore.

"Hn." Was all he said.

Sakura shrugged it off, as if what he'd said – or what he didn't, seem to be weighing down on her shoulders.

There was a moment of tense silence and Sakura watched Sasuke intently. He had become, as expected, an extremely handsome young man. Sakura had felt her heart do summersaults at the sight of him. But not in the way it once had when they were genin. So many thoughts had whizzed past her mind and really, all she could do was feel numb. Something approaching anger was quickly sweeping through her. But she didn't do anything.

Even though, she wanted to walk up to him, look at him in the eye and punch his face in. She wanted to slap him, kick him, scream at him. She wanted to show him physically, the pain he had caused her emotionally and mentally.

But she didn't do anything.

His eyes fell on the bundle she was carrying, wrapped carefully in newspaper and Sakura was thankful. It reminded her why she was out at this time and why she just _had_ to cross this particular bridge.

"It's for Naruto." Sakura whispered.

There was a sudden change in Sasuke's expression. Sakura saw it immediately and she was shocked, and a little confused, when Sasuke didn't even try to hide it. It took her a moment, when she realized that he _couldn't_ hide it.

"He trains everyday. He's trained everyday. Since you left. He trains, and forgets to eat. Except for maybe Ramen. But both you and I know how unhealthy _that_ is…" Sakura said, not believing that she was actually kidding around with the person in front of her.

Still, Sasuke's face held that same, indescribable emotion. There was a slight twitch on his lips and his eyes held something she couldn't quite fathom…Sakura wondered; since when was Sasuke so bad at hiding emotions? He never had trouble before. But. She supposed this was different.

He looked…hurt. Sakura almost smirked. She was surprised at the lack of tears her eyes had to offer. She'd dreamt of this. Of his return. Although the dreams were hardly dreams at all. In all of them she'd cried when he came back. Cried and ran up to him and…then she'd wake up. She shifted slightly. _Is this how I can hurt him?_ She thought to herself. She decided to test it out.

"Everyday. Every single day, he's trained." She said again. "Even after--"

Sakura paused for a moment, a lump forming at her throat. It was backfiring. Yes, the slight twist in Sasuke's face showed her it was working. But suddenly her eyes were damp and there was a sudden turmoil in her chest. Like her heart was hollowing out.

Maybe it was.

"Even after…even after his body began deteriorating. Esp-especially after his body began deteriorating."

Sakura let out a shaky breath, swallowing. Then she wished she hadn't because suddenly her throat was very dry.

Sasuke looked at her for a moment. Deteriorating? What did that mean? His mind couldn't fathom it. _He_ couldn't fathom it.

"Will you take me to him." He said, quiet.

It had almost been a demand. His voice held no questions, although his words did.

"I—Sasuke, I don't think that's a good idea."

Sasuke felt anger flare through him, before he cooled down. He noticed Sakura hadn't even flinched. Yes. She'd grown.

"I understand."

She nodded to him, a thanks in her gesture. She didn't smile at him. She hadn't at all. He understood that as well.

_"What, Uchiha? You had expected a welcoming ceremony?" _

Neji's words echoed in his ears. _No. I hadn't been expecting anything. But least of all…this…_ He leaned his elbows against the railings and turned his head up towards the sky. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. He looked back at Sakura who was making her way across the bridge now.

"Sakura." He called.

She paused, but didn't turn to look at him.

"Don't tell him I'm here."

He didn't want to say _"Don't tell him I'm back."_ Because he wasn't. Not Back. At least…

She nodded.

"I wasn't going to."

o-o-o-o-o

"Anou sa, Anou sa, Sakura-chan, daijoubu ka?"

Sakura looked up from her lap and smiled.

"Hai."

Naruto looked at her, incredulous.

"Right." He said, one eyebrow raised.

She laughed. Naruto grinned and plopped down next to her. Sakura sighed and leaned back on the tree trunk, looking at her comrade.

Naruto was so much taller than her now. He was probably the same height as Sasuke. Who would have thought _that_ would have been possible? She bit her lip at the thought of Sasuke.

"You're too glum to be alright, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, thoughtfully while munching on a rice ball.

"Since when have _you_ been so perceptive?" Sakura teased.

But Naruto didn't respond. His blue eyes didn't glitter with amusement anymore. He looked genuinely concerned. Sakura's smile faded from her face.

"Nothing, Naruto. It's nothing."

Naruto looked at her before turning his face up towards the sky.

"Yeah. Nothing."

He sounded hurt.

"Look, Naruto, it really is nothing." Sakura said.

She knew just how sensitive Naruto was. She knew that now. She hadn't known before. But now she did. And in truth, especially since everyone found out Naruto was dy—was not well, almost everyone seemed to be walking around him like treading on glass. She knew he hated it. Which was probably why he trained so much. To show he wasn't going to break into two at any given moment.

Naruto didn't reply. Instead, he glanced behind him and smiled brightly.

"Thick brows!" Naruto grinned as Lee appeared behind him.

"Naruto! Don't call Lee-kun that!" Sakura whacked Naruto on the head.

He laughed a little, almost apologetically. Almost.

"What's up, thick brows?"

Sakura sighed. Irritated. But relieved the mood was back to normal again.

"Naruto-kun, Godaime-sama is waiting for you." Lee said.

He turned his attention to Sakura, helping her up off the ground. She smiled easily at him and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. He blushed furiously.

"Ah CRAP! I totally forgot!" Naruto said, jumping up and waving at the other two.

Naruto sighed, not bothering to say a goodbye to the other two. They were already way too wrapped up in each other to notice him.

"GOMEEEEEEEEN!"

Naruto cried, flying through Tsunade's doors. The ANBU on either side of the doors just looked at the orange blur, not even bothering to stop him. They merely closed the door after him.

Tsunade looked at him, irritation clear in her eyes.

"You're late."

Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Gomen, Tsunade-baasan." He scratched the back of his head with one hand.

Tsunade glared at him, irritation etched on her fine features.

"Ah…You see…I was with Sakura-chan. And she'd made breakfast for me. And you know how great she is at cooking, Tsunade-baasan!"

Tsunade continued to frown. Naruto made a mental note to ask Sakura to cook for her. Maybe then she would understand.

It was only then that Naruto tensed and straightening up, feeling eyes boring into the back of his head. He glanced over at one corner behind him.

_Sasuke? _

* * *

**Glossary:**  
Anou sa: Hey (to grab someone's attention) / now see here / well now / listen up  
Daijoubu ka: You alright?  
Gomen: Sorry 


	4. Unwilling

**Chapter Rating: **PG - 15 for Language

**To My Reviewers:  
Rosemarykiss: **nn this chapter's been finished for a long time, but I was too lazy to actually update. lol.  
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Once again, thanks so much, to my reiviewers. Your reviews spur me on to write more. :D

**

* * *

- IV -  
Unwilling **

There was an eternity in the moment black eyes met blue and vice versa.

Sasuke watched, trying to bring himself to be amused, at the several emotions that flashed in Naruto's eyes.

He failed.

There was a tension in Naruto's shoulders and Sasuke wanted to go up to the other to push his shoulders down. He wondered at the thought.

All of a sudden though, Sasuke found himself against the wall, a throbbing pain in his jaw. He fell forward a little, but didn't stumble. He knew, that if he looked behind him, there would be a dent in the wall. Bringing a thumb to his lips, he felt the slight dampness there. He licked the spot he had just touched and the strong metallic taste of his blood hit him like a shot of strong liquor.

Naruto had punched him, and he hadn't even seen him coming.

The sharingan flashed in his eyes as he saw Naruto draw his fist back again. His view was then obstructed by Tsunade's back.

"What the _fuck_ is he doing here?" Naruto breathed, eyes looking past Tsunade and at Sasuke.

Tsunade huffed.

"Naruto. What did I tell you about language?"

"I don't give a shit! Now answer my fucking question!"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed on Naruto. He almost never swore. The first time he'd swore, she'd took him by the collar and shook him so hard his teeth rattled. Needless to say he rarely ever swore after that. But this time, she let it slide. Just this once.

"Now now, Naruto-kun." She said, her voice sweet, a smile playing on her lips. "Is that anyway to treat Sasuke-kun?"

"It's the _perfect_ way to treat the bastard." Naruto spat, all this time, his eyes never left Sasuke's.

Tsunade sighed.

"Step aside so I can punch his fucking face in." Naruto spat.

"No." Tsunade's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Why are you protecting him?" Naruto demanded, his anger reaching a whole new height.

"I'm not protecting him, Naruto. I just don't want to waste anytime anymore. Remember? You're late? Sasuke, could you please excuse Naruto and me."

She turned her head slightly to look at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes. He nodded before stepping outside.

Tsunade turned her attention back at the furious blonde who seemed to be rooted to the spot. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to stop Sasuke from leaving the room and pounding the boy's face in with all he had.

"Naruto. That was a disgusting way to behave." She reprimanded him, grabbing his wrist and dragging him towards the table set up in the middle of her office. She shoved him on to it and he winced a little before lying down.

"It wasn't. It suited him fine." Naruto murmured.

Tsunade sighed.

"Sit up."

He did as instructed and raised his arms above his head as she tugged the orange shirt over it. He lay back down, wincing at the cold metal of the table. Tsunade folded his shirt and placed it on a chair.

Tsunade looked at the seal. It was visible almost all the time now and she touched it gently with her finger. Naruto let out a breath he was holding.

"I know you're upset Naruto. I understand that."

"No you don't." Naruto whined. Yet still, that little complain held fierce anger and a defiance that showed clearly, just how irritated he was with the entire situation.

She whacked him lightly on the forehead.

"Shut up. Yes I do. You're not taking this seriously, baka."

"How am I supposed to take you seriously when you're acting like a five year old!" Naruto demanded, pouting.

Tsunade laughed quietly.

"I want to…" Naruto whispered.

Tsunade wasn't really listening, as she used Chakra to examine the seal. The seal was intact. She frowned. The more she examined it, the redder the area around the seal became. Glancing over at Naruto, he didn't seem to be bothered by it.

She withdrew her hand from Naruto and watched as the angry red around the seal intensified. She looked over at Naruto. No reaction.

"Are—does anything hurt?" She asked quietly.

He shook his head, staring straight up at the ceiling.

She knit her eyebrows together. This was the first time he had reacted this way to her examination. The skin around his seal was hot to the touch. Almost burning. She couldn't believe Naruto didn't feel it.

"Oh God." She breathed.

Naruto didn't hear her. Or maybe he was just pretending he hadn't. His head was turned to the side now and he stared at the door behind which Sasuke stood.

"I want him to know." He said finally.

"Hm?" Tsunade inquired, absentmindedly, voice high with tension.

A great flood of panic was threatening to overcome her and she sought to calm herself down. _It's nothing. It's nothing. It's nothing._ She repeated to herself. She watched as the inky black of the seal shifted slightly, rotating by a few degrees before settling. The skin around it looked like it had been set aflame.

"Ne, Obaasan, you look like you're going to throw up." Naruto said, finally looking at her.

She chuckled; glad her laugh sounded sincere, when her insides seemed to be collapsing in around themselves.

"Anyway, what is it that you want who to know?" She said, looking at the seal from the corner of her eye. The red seemed to diminish.

Naruto's eyes lost its concern for Tsunade and they became dull – if that were possible for Naruto.

"I want him to know," was all he said again, his eyes going out of focus as he stared past her.

She found her hand resting on the boy's forehead, smoothing his messy hair back. She took his appearance in for the first time in a long while. He'd grown. So much. In such a short amount of time.

She watched as anger flashed in his eyes. But behind the anger lay a deep deep sorrow. There was guilt there too, intertwining and interweaving with loneliness and something else Tsunade couldn't pin down. It almost seemed to her like…like relief.

Tsunade noted, smiling sadly to herself, that of all the emotions held in Naruto's eyes, he lacked one. The one emotion that no one would – or could – blame him for feeling.

Resentment.

"Well? What do you want him to know?" She asked, feigning impatience.

Blue eyes looked up at her.

"Everything." He breathed.

Tsunade faltered a moment and he took that chance to brush her hand away from his forehead. She knew he reveled in the affection that she rarely ever gave. She didn't want to go soft on him. Then he'd know how weak she was when it came to him. And he would use it to his every advantage. She smirked to herself as she tossed him his shirt. Although the smirk was more like a fond smile.

"Put that on and call the Uchiha in."

"Obaasan." Naruto murmured, eyes downcast as he sat up, t-shirt already pulled on.

She looked at him.

"I—I really didn't mean to hit him, you know."

Tsunade's eyes softened.

"I know."

Sasuke turned when he heard the door behind him open. The ANBU on either side watched as Naruto stepped outside. Without looking at him, Naruto muttered that Tsunade would see him now. Sasuke watched as the blonde left. He glanced over at the open door and then back at Naruto.

Tsunade could wait.

He ran up behind Naruto, hand reaching out, ready to grab the blonde's shoulder, should he decide to run away. He didn't. Instead, Naruto continued walking at the pace he had left the office; not acknowledging Sasuke behind him. Sasuke's hand hovered inches above Naruto's shoulder. He imagined that he could feel the heat radiating from the shoulder and suddenly he itched to touch Naruto.

He almost wished Naruto would run, so he would have an excuse to do so. He pulled his hand back and watched Naruto walk ahead of him. Sasuke stopped for a moment. The break in his stride left Naruto unaffected, when usually, one stopped when the enemy pursuing you had stopped. This usually signaled an attack. Naruto didn't pause. There was no shift in his gait and it made Sasuke uneasy to think, that should he throw a kunai at Naruto, Naruto would have barely cared.

Once Naruto was outside, Sasuke tentatively followed him. Reaching the doorway, he expected Naruto to have gone. He wasn't. He just strolled idly ahead, head cast down and broad shoulders slumped forward. Sasuke followed him and once he'd reached Naruto's side, all words left him.

Not that he had any to begin with.

Of all the gifts Sasuke was bestowed with, he had never been good with words.

Naruto's fists were balled in his pockets; nails digging deep into his palm as he resisted the urge to hit Sasuke again. He remembered his fist meeting with Sasuke's jaw. The sick sounds of fist making contact with face and body crashing into a wall was not satisfying. He would have thought it would be.

He didn't look at Sasuke. He was afraid to. Frightened he would probably explode and then…Naruto stopped and gazed up for the first time.

He was afraid of hurting Sasuke. The fury that came with the confusion rushed through him and he found himself seeing nothing at all.

Once, a lifetime ago, Sasuke had said, that to save him, his body had moved on its own. Now, to save Sasuke, his body couldn't move at all.

Sasuke couldn't help stepping back. He really couldn't. In fact, he hadn't noticed that he had. Naruto's anger was palpable; it was unctuous and thick in the air of the forest Naruto had led them into. His fury slid over Sasuke like oil. Oil that was about to be lit aflame.

"You fucking bastard."

It was the first time in an hour – Sasuke was surprised that Naruto had lasted walking besides him for that long – that Naruto spoke to him. The boy still didn't meet his eyes.

"You fucking bastard."

Naruto slowly turned to him, eyes that were trained on the ground were now trained on Sasuke's feet.

"You fucking bastard." Naruto repeated.

Sasuke swallowed a retort that was bubbling below his surface. _Is that all you've got to say? Hn. Looks like you're as articulate as ever._

"You left. You left. You left."

Naruto trembled and Sasuke braced himself for the punch.

The punch that met Sasuke's face had none of the pain or intensity he had been expecting. He was left still standing exactly where he was, jaw still intact…The punch wasn't a punch. The only word that Sasuke could think of to describe it was _brush_.

It was just a brush against his cheek.

Yet it hurt.

It didn't leave his jaw throbbing like Naruto's first punch had. But it hurt nonetheless. There was a heat that flared from where Naruto had touched him and he resisted the urge to bring his hand to his cheek and touch the skin there in strange wonderment.

Naruto's touch had done more damage any punch ever could.

"You left." Naruto said once more, quieter.

He looked drained. When he collapsed onto his knees, Sasuke couldn't move towards him. There was a barrier between them, held up by Naruto's refusal to look at him.

"You fucking bastard."

Sasuke heard the falter in the words. The choke that followed them.

"You don't know, what you've done. You're here. And you don't even _know_ what you've fucking _done_." Naruto's voice was hoarse now, as if worn down from use. "You're here and you expect everything to be alright and--"

"Stop. Just stop." Sasuke interrupted him, anger rising in his voice.

Naruto's head snapped up at this and he stood, eyes blazing.

"Everyone fucking assumes, that I've come here and expect everything to be alright." Sasuke said, his voice shaky.

He didn't like this.

This was new, this lack of control.

He didn't like it at all.

He licked his lips, which had gone dry under Naruto's fierce gaze. He ran a hand through his hair, nervous. He suddenly wished Naruto was fighting him instead. Fighting was something he could do. Something he wouldn't falter in.

This was new.

"I didn't. I don't. I didn't expect a parade. I didn't expect everyone to welcome me with open arms." Suddenly he couldn't look at Naruto.

He was shocked the other let him continue.

"I didn't expect _anyone_ to welcome me back. Or want me back. I know that." Sasuke glanced over at Naruto before looking at a tree, suddenly seemingly fascinated by it.

"I knew that. I don't even know why I came back. I didn't want to come back. I mean. I'm not even back at all—"

"You're leaving again." Naruto said, interrupting him for the first time since he started speaking.

"I didn't say that." Sasuke said, angry for having been interrupted.

He snapped his gaze over to Naruto, who seemed to have calmed down. But he could see the other's temper, simmering beneath the surface. He wondered at the fact that he was still unscathed. He could no longer deny the other's strength.

"Look. Naruto." Both cringed slightly at Sasuke's use of Naruto's name. But he continued. "I know exactly where I stand with everyone here. I know, alright? I knew that I wouldn't be received well by anybody. Least of all by you."

Naruto visibly slackened, although the tension in his stance still kept Sasuke guarded.

"I-I'm not going to do this." Naruto whispered and Sasuke knew he was speaking to himself.

Naruto turned and Sasuke watched him walk away. This time, he didn't follow.

o-o-o-o-o

"Why didn't you tell me you knew he was here?" Naruto whispered, pushing the food around in his plate.

"I didn't want to upset you." Sakura answered back.

"Yeah. Well."

Sakura's brow furrowed. She understood how Naruto was feeling. At least to a certain extent. Naruto had never spoken to her about what occurred at the Valley of The End. In fact, she was pretty sure he spoke about it to no one. It was only recently, that she began to understand her comrade of so long. For all his loudness, Naruto spoke so little about himself. He complained, exclaimed but never did he actually say anything that meant anything. Sakura paused, startled.

She realized. She knew almost nothing about her teammate. Nothing apart from those she'd observed herself.

"Have you seen him recently?" Naruto asked after a long silence.

Sakura stared at her plate of food. She had come over to Naruto's house to cook him lunch. Lee was away on a mission and whenever he was away, she often spent lots of time with Naruto. Especially after Sasuke had returned five weeks ago.

She'd heard from Tsunade that they had seen each other the same day she had seen him for the first time. She didn't know, nor did she want to know, what could have possibly happened _there_. She was surprised that both had come away from the meeting relatively intact. Naruto, she knew, came back untouched by Sasuke. She wasn't sure though, how we was holding up emotionally.

"You can tell me you know." Naruto nudged Sakura lightly. "And you haven't even touched your food, Sakura-chan."

Sakura laughed.

"Look who's talking." Sakura laughed, sticking a tongue out at Naruto before catching herself.

Nineteen years old and still acting like a child. All thoughts of acting like an adult however, were pushed out of her mind as water was thrown on her face.

"Why you…" Sakura grabbed her own glass of water and doused the blonde as he had done to her.

Soon, it was an all-out water fight; jutsus being performed before Sakura squealed that jutsus weren't allowed as Naruto hit her with a particularly hard water-based jutsu he'd learnt recently. He'd staggered for a moment, stuttering an embarrassed apology, but his embarrassment was soon forgotten as freezing cold water drenched him from a jutsu Sakura performed.

"No Fair! You just said no more water jutsus!"

"Ok ok ok! No more water jutsus. From this point on." Sakura giggled.

An hour later found the two in opposite sides of Naruto's apartment, thoroughly drenched; a trail of damp chaos connecting the two. Between the both of them, Naruto's apartment would be swimming in at least two feet of water if it weren't for the small space between the front door and the floor. Apparently, all rules banning jutsus were forgotten five minutes after their creation.

Sakura was the first to realize the mess they had made. Her eyes widened at the mini-swamp that was now Naruto's apartment. She stood up and saw that Naruto was doing the same.

"Give me a second, Sakura-chan." He said, looking around him uneasily before disappearing into his bedroom.

Sakura plopped herself down on the couch and the _squish_ sound the couch had made, caused her to giggle a little before jumping up. It felt disgusting to sit on a wet couch. She smoothed the back of her pink Capri pants, checking if the couch had made her wet, before suddenly realizing she had passed the stage of 'wet' about forty-five minutes beforehand.

"Here, Sakura-chan. Catch."

Sakura turned and caught the towel Naruto had thrown to her. She thanked him before starting the diligent task of drying her pink hair. She was once again thankful for its length. Short hair generally dried faster than long.

Looking at the clock, Sakura gasped.

"I'm late! Tsunade-sama's going to _kill_ me!" Sakura glanced over at Naruto who, bless him, handed her his brush to borrow.

_So he _does_ brush his hair. _Sakura thought to herself as she brushed her semi-dry hair in a hurry.

Naruto watched her.

"Y'know, Sakura-chan, you never did answer my question."

Sakura's green eyes dropped before meeting his blue ones again.

"I have seen him, Naruto. Just a few times. Twice or thrice maximum, and even then…we didn't really talk." She set the hairbrush down.

"You know, Naruto, I—I think, I'm…well, not _over_ it, of course. I haven't really forgiven him yet. But, I'm glad that he's back. A-and, I'm sure you feel the same way."

Naruto merely shrugged.

"Come on, Naruto," Sakura said softly, stepping closer to her teammate. "I'm sure, your promise to me was not the only reason you wanted to bring him back. You were good friends. Don't let this…" She didn't finish.

Naruto watched Sakura walk down the hall away from his apartment before closing the door. He leaned against the door, letting out a shaky breath. He walked into his bedroom and placed his knuckles on the short chest of drawers he had and looked at his reflection in the mirror that hung above it.

_"You were good friends."_

Keyword: were. Naruto gulped at the past tense present in the sentence. The truth was, contrary to popular belief, Naruto had pride. Perhaps not to the extent that the Uchiha had. Naruto smirked. He wasn't a psycho when it came to that field. He could bite his tongue down from time to time – but still, it was there. And Naruto was having a hard time of biting his tongue down this time.

When he'd told Tsunade he hadn't meant to hit Sasuke, he had been telling the truth. In all honesty, Naruto had no idea why he had been so angry. He was sure that he would have been overjoyed to see the bastard back.

He wasn't.

Instead, he was hurt. As if the reality of Sasuke's betrayal had only dawned on him then. The battle they'd had before Sasuke left, had affected him more than he put on.

He hadn't understood.

_"You're my best friend."_

Naruto often woke in a cold sweat, breathing so hard, his breaths all seemed to merge into one, forming a choke instead.

_"Ne, Naruto. You ok?" Shikamaru woke, stretching. _

_Neji was already up, staring at the fitful blond. _

_"Shikamaru. Don't go near him." Neji said quietly, as Shikamaru approached Naruto. _

_Shikamaru cocked his head to one side, before turning to look at the blond. His eyes widened. Naruto was barely there at all. He was looking at them and yet didn't see them at all. Besides them, Chouji let out a small snore. Naruto's eyes darted over at Chouji, panic evident in his eyes. _

_"Naruto." Neji called, not moving from his spot, inside the sleeping bag. _

_Naruto glanced over at Neji, and licked his lips; nervous. Neji had never seen Naruto so frightened. So untrusting. _

_"What's wrong with him?" Shikamaru crept over to Neji's side, eyes never leaving Naruto. _

_"He's had a bad dream which he thinks he's still in." Neji whispered back. _

_Shikamaru closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Troublesome._ But he wasn't annoyed. He was concerned. _

_Despite what Neji had said, Shikamaru made his way towards Naruto. _

_"God no." Naruto had breathed. _

_It made Shikamaru falter and glance back over at Neji, whose eyes were trained on Naruto. _

_"Ne, Naruto. Snap out of it." Shikamaru kneeled down besides Naruto, who sat up shaking in his sleeping bag. _

_"Don't." Naruto whispered. _

_Shikamaru placed both hands on Naruto's shoulders. _

_"Don't!" Naruto shouted, desperate and fearful. _

_Yet he did nothing. _

_Shikamaru stared, incredulous, shaking Naruto a little. Blue eyes clouded over with tears that began to spill and for a moment, Naruto looked so violated, so frightened, Shikamaru felt guilty about touching him. _

_Naruto coughed and Shikamaru pulled back. Looking up, Shikamaru saw Neji on Naruto's other side. Naruto had lay down again and now he was staring up at the two, eyes seemingly swimming with fear. _

_"Naruto. Snap out of it." Neji said, angry. _

_For a moment, Naruto's eyes widened and he shrunk away from Neji. When he realized he was shrinking towards Shikamaru, he recoiled, looking like a cornered mouse. _

_"Naruto. Snap out of it." Neji repeated. "It's just us. Neji. Shikamaru." _

_"And Chouji." _

_Neji heard Chouji standing behind him, now awake. _

_"It's just us. No one else." Shikamaru whispered. _

_Again, he attempted to place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Neji did the same to his other shoulder. For a moment, the fear was gone from his eyes and therein lay confusion. The confusion faded and was replaced with embarrassment. _

_"I—I'm sorry." Naruto whispered. _

_"It's ok. You were dreaming." Shikamaru said. _

_Neji stood. _

_"We should all get back to sleep. We have a lot of traveling to do tomorrow." He said, returning to his sleeping bag. _

_Shikamaru lingered for a moment besides Naruto. _

_"You wanna talk about it?" Shikamaru asked, gently nudging Naruto. _

_Naruto managed a smile. He knew it probably looked nothing like one. _

_"It's ok. Thanks. Sorry bout that." Naruto said, trying a little chuckle. _

_He stopped, when he realized how wrong _that_ sounded. _

_Shikamaru only nodded and went back to his own sleeping bag. Chouji shuffled his feet, looking at Naruto, before murmuring a good night, stumbling slowly towards his sleeping bag and then promptly fell asleep. _

_Naruto gazed at his teammates and whimpered a little. He didn't think he could fall asleep again. In the dark, he could see Shikamaru's chest rising and falling, he could hear Chouji's gentle snores. His eyes darted over at Neji. _

_The man's white eyes glittered back at him in the dark of the night. _

_"Naruto." He heard the other whisper. "Naruto." _

_Naruto made a small noise, to show he was listening. The fear inside him was inexplicable. Or maybe it wasn't. Either way, Naruto swallowed, trying to bite back the panic. The irrational panic that was balling up in his throat. _

_"Naruto. It's ok," the whisper was like a breath between them. "It's alright. We're not him." _

_When Naruto next woke, he blinked back tears that came from a dream he didn't remember. The other three were ready, waiting patiently for him. He was embarrassed for being the reason of their delay. If they were annoyed, they did nothing to show it. _

"You're my best friend." _Was what was echoing through Naruto's mind. He shook his head, trying to clear it._

_The truth was; he didn't understand._

All throughout the mission, he had sensed Neji's watchful eye on his back.

Naruto hadn't even been able to fake a smile the rest of the day.


	5. Unable

**Chapter Rating: **PG - 15 for Language

**To My Reviewers:  
OoKamiHanyouGurl: **I've been mad at him for forever. lol.  
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Arigatou Gozaimashita, minna-sama. Your reviews really kick me into gear.

**

* * *

**

**- V -  
Unable**

Naruto's blood was like a river which flowed deeper than all the blood of his clan put together – and it was flowing over him. He turned to his side in bed, flexing his fingers.

They were long and tapered, skilled at what they did – forming jutsus and taking life. When they had been shorter than they were now, over half a decade ago, these same fingers had gone right through Naruto. Right through him and back again. The blood that stained them prevented him from wiping his eyes when the unbidden, hot, angry tears fell. He was afraid the blood might get into his eyes, painting the cornea and staining his eyes a permanent red. Or maybe it had already.

Maybe that's what the Sharingan was.

It was blood. Naruto's.

So Sasuke understood that Naruto had every right to feel what he did. Every right to feel whatever it was that he felt towards – or for – Sasuke.

But Naruto didn't know. He didn't know Sasuke had punished himself enough.

And Sasuke understood that as well.

o-o-o-o-o

He'd grown. Sasuke watched Naruto, the Sharingan swirling in his eyes. Naruto's movements were so different from before. From that fight.

That fight, Sasuke had memorized. He'd memorized every movement Naruto had made. The little jumps in his muscles, the expressions on his face.

What he remembered most though, were Naruto's eyes which, not once, during the entire fight, had been blank. There had been words written within the blue – and then red – depths. Words and words. Tons of them. Words Sasuke had memorized as well.

Yet, for the life of him, no matter how hard he tried, those words could never find substance on his lips. They could never take shape. His tongue felt clumsy and heavy when he tried to shape them out and Sasuke found, that though he'd memorized them, it felt that they weren't in a language he could understand. He'd memorized sounds. Sounds whose meanings were out of his reach.

When Sasuke was alone, he tried to put meaning behind the words that he'd found in Naruto's eyes. He always failed.

Sasuke started. Eyes that had always held so much were turned to where he was, looking at him now.

There was an emptiness in those eyes that he'd never seen before and it perturbed him. He jumped off of the tree limb he'd been perched upon and found himself face to face with Naruto.

Naruto's eyes seemed to take him all in and Sasuke suddenly got the strange feeling of being pulled. There was a tug at his naval, as Naruto looked at him and Sasuke almost felt sure, that Naruto was using him to fill the empty space in his eyes. Sasuke dimly wondered, how much space he could fill up. After all, he was barely anything at all. He was just a husk. Nothing else.

Yet when Naruto's gaze met his again, the blue depths were no longer empty and words filled them again. This time, they were words Sasuke was familiar with.

"I hate you." Naruto said, voice steady and nonchalant. Like he had just informed Sasuke that it would be raining soon and Sasuke was stupid for being outside with no umbrella.

"I know." Sasuke whispered.

There, again, humming in his fingertips, was the urge to reach out and touch Naruto again. _Again?_ Again.

And again. And again.

"Good." Naruto said, nodding.

Naruto turned, walking away.

"Naruto, I—" Sasuke watched as Naruto paused, back still turned to him.

He moved a hand through his hair, pushing it back in frustration. Naruto turned slightly, his eyes slanted towards Sasuke and he caught the nervousness in him as Sasuke's tongue darted out to lick unsteady lips.

Sasuke's arm dropped to his side and Naruto watched it fall limp, eyes almost wary.

"Naruto. I…" Sasuke tried again and Naruto's eyes traveled up to meet his again.

"I know." Naruto whispered.

And then he was walking away and Sasuke could only watch.

o-o-o-o-o

Sakura smiled down at Lee whose head lay on her lap. Her hand rested over his heart; his hand lay on top of hers, fingers laced lazily together. A shadow fell over the both of them and Sakura shaded her eyes with her free hand and looked up.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, smiling.

The honorific was not lost to Sasuke.

Lee sat up, looking at Sakura for a moment. When he saw that Sakura did not seem angry or disturbed by Sasuke's presence, he looked up at the younger man and smiled as well.

"Please. Join us." Lee said, gesturing towards the space in front of Sakura and himself.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, before deciding it would be best if he took the invitation. There was an uneasiness in the air that Sasuke was beginning to tire of.

"Sakura." He began, not really sure about what he wanted to say exactly. "I have a request to make."

Sakura nodded for him to continue.

He watched as her eyes grew wide before a sudden warmth filled them as he made his request. She smiled. It was only then that he realized, he missed seeing smiles. Before he knew it, a small one graced his lips as well. But it was gone before it could really turn into anything and instead, he simply nodded his thanks at her acceptance.

He stayed for a little while, and listened to Sakura talk about nothing in particular. A playful nudge from Lee led into something else and soon the couple before him began traipsing along the border of Intimate and Sasuke thought it wise to take his leave.

It really was a beautiful day; even Sasuke couldn't deny it as he gazed up at the sky from his perch at the top of the hill he had walked to after leaving Lee and Sakura.

"I never thought of you as the cloud-watching type."

Sasuke looked down, smirking, before turning around to face the owner of the voice.

"I'm not." He replied.

Shikamaru didn't react to that; it was as if Sasuke had never spoken. His eyes were directed towards the heavens, watching as the rolling masses of white passed by. Shikamaru had matured into something no one would have expected him to have matured into. He had become strikingly and exquisitely sculpted. Much like his father, but with something else. Something more. But it was obvious, by the way Shikamaru stared intently up at the sky, on the inside, he had not changed by much.

Then, he dropped his eyes to look at Sasuke.

"Do you expect me to be present?" He asked.

It took Sasuke a couple of seconds to realize what Shikamaru was talking about. Sakura had wasted no time.

"Yes. If it won't be too…troublesome." Sasuke smirked.

Shikamaru waved the statement away.

"Hai, hai."

Then the other's gaze was directed towards the sky again and Sasuke felt that he might as well have been alone on that hill.

But then again – wasn't he always?

o-o-o-o-o

Naruto tugged at his collar; restless. He was early and the only ones present apart from him were Sakura and Lee. But that was to be expected, since this _was _Sakura's apartment and Lee might as well have been living with her. Hinata was there as well but she was holed up in the kitchen with Sakura, cooking. That was probably the only bright spot in Naruto's day – which, ever since dawn when he was pretty sure that Sasuke was watching him again, was slowly but surely creeping its way to Hell. Hinata was a fantastic cook. The food she made seemed not of this world. Neji sure was lucky.

As if on cue, Neji entered the apartment, leaving his sandals in the entrance hallway. Sakura popped her head out of the kitchen at the sound of her apartment door opening.

"Neji! There you are." Sakura smiled.

Neji nodded in greeting and looked behind Sakura at Hinata, who had turned around at Neji's name. She smiled meekly at him and he returned hers with one of his own. Though there was nothing meek in Neji's.

Naruto watched as Neji walked over to Sakura and hand her the groceries she had asked for, as well as her change.

"Arigatou." Sakura smiled before shoving Neji out of the kitchen.

"We don't need any men getting in the way." She laughed.

Hinata's laugh soon followed and Naruto smiled fondly at the sprinkling of red that dusted Hinata's cheeks. Although she'd grown into a beautiful woman and gained a sort of silent confidence; her blushes remained and Naruto enjoyed them. And from the look on Neji's face, he did too. Naruto smiled wryly to himself before Neji turned around, glaring at him. Then, Naruto laughed, before looking the other way.

"Ne, Neji, do you know why we're here?" Naruto asked when he was sure Neji wasn't going to punch his face in for watching him.

Neji paused for a second before shrugging and looking out of the window. But Naruto knew, he was using those eyes of his to watch Hinata. He snickered, before Neji turned to glare at him again. Naruto grinned mischievously before cocking his head to the side in a sort of bow as an apology, the grin slipping off his face.

It was half an hour before the others began to arrive. Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and Shino all came almost simultaneously. Tenten was the last to arrive, bringing with her desserts and fruits.

Naruto settled down, and when Sakura and Hinata finally emerged from the kitchen, Naruto's eyes lit up at the sight of all the food they had made. Pumping his fist in the air, Naruto immediately sat at the head of the table that could seat six.

"Naruto, get off that chair; we're not eating at the table. It wouldn't be fair to those who won't have a place." Sakura said, placing the food along the table.

Hinata placed a pile of plates at one end of the table as well as the cutlery.

"A buffet!" Naruto exclaimed; the pout that was on his lips earlier on after Sakura had told him to get off the chair disappearing miraculously.

Sakura sighed in exasperation.

"Leave enough for the others, Naruto." then, turning to the others, "don't let him touch _anything_." She said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

The pout reappeared and he slumped back into the chair he had pounced on, arms crossed in front of him. From the corner of is eye, he could see Neji shaking his head, as if at a loss.

When Sakura reappeared with Hinata, their aprons were gone and Sakura brushed the hair out of her eyes before smiling brightly and saying, "Ok everyone! Help yourself!"

Neither Chouji nor Naruto needed telling twice.

Thirty minutes into dinner, there was a knock on the door. Being the closest to it, Naruto jumped up from the sofa, trusting the guarding of his plate to Lee and walked down the small hallway that connected the front door to the living room.

The front door was blocked by numerous sandals and he frowned, thinking he ought to buy Sakura a shoe rack or something. He pushed the footwear away from the door with his feet, one hand pressed against the doorframe, the arm of which was straightened for balance. It was proving to be difficult as he tried to arrange the sandals in need little rows against the wall without piling up on top of each other. A pair of sandals which he was sure belonged to Neji were streaked white from the dust on the sole of sandals he was sure belonged to Kiba. Looking behind him, he left the shoes as they were, to make it seem Kiba had just thrown his sandals like that, and was the reason why Neji's usually perfectly black sandals now had streaks of white. In the semi-dark – the light bulb in the overhead lamp of the hall had gone a couple of hours ago – the white streak seemed to glow. Naruto gulped.

He fumbled the door open, all the while debating whether he should just pick up Neji's sandals and just clean them before Neji found out. He grimaced at the thought. The door-chain prevented the door from opening all the way and Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Sorry…" He called, not looking outside as he shut the door again.

He removed the chain before opening the door all the way, carefully stepping over Neji and Kiba's sandals – so as to not disrupt their current positions – as he moved back to make room for the door. He ended up trapped behind the door and didn't see who'd come in until he had shut the door again.

He laughed nervously, scratching his head as he turned around to warn the other not to step on Neji and Kiba's shoes. He froze.

"Naruto, who was it?" Sakura's voice from the living room sounded out.

Naruto's eyes didn't leave Sasuke's and Sakura's question was left unanswered.

"It's me." Sasuke called out.

Immediately, the living room went quiet and Naruto watched, tense, as Sasuke carefully removed his sandals and put them neatly to the side, where Neji's sandals had once been. Sasuke straightened and looked at Naruto, as if waiting for him to say or do something. When Naruto did nothing, Sasuke nodded, as a sort of greeting and walked past him, stepping into the living room. Naruto's eyes never left him.

When the wall obstructed his view of Sasuke as Sasuke turned into the living room, Naruto's eyes fell slowly to the ground. He found his own sandals, discarded carelessly further away from the door and he debated leaving. By the way Sakura had not appeared when Sasuke had informed her it was him; Naruto knew she had been expecting him. The muscles in his jaw worked as he gritted his teeth, frustration and anger seething through him. Why hadn't Sakura told him _he_ was going to be there!

Oh. Right.

Probably because she knew he wouldn't have shown up otherwise.

He listened to the greetings that were exchanged before the conversation began to pick up again and the words of his friends began to merge and all he heard was noise. His eyes grew dark as he stared intently at his sandals, his back against the wall. He sighed in frustration. A hand came up to run through his messy blond hair, coming to rest on the back of his neck, which he rubbed roughly, trying to ease the ache there formed by tension.

This always happened. Always fucking happened.

He glanced up at the light coming from the living room, a shadow cast on the floor from someone around the corner. Laughter bubbled up from the room and although it was uneasy, Naruto felt sick to hear it.

How could they just let him in like that? He clenched and unclenched his fists before deciding to return to the others. When he emerged from the hallway, the room went still as all eyes turned towards Naruto. He kept his head down, walking towards his spot on the couch and Lee put his plate of food back down on his lap. He pushed the food around on his plate, listening to the conversation that was beginning to pick up again.

Sentences were jumbled and Naruto tried desperately to keep up with the others, but he found that his mind was filtering everything the others said and waiting for Sasuke to speak. Sasuke was silent and when Naruto looked up, he saw that Sasuke was watching him again. Naruto looked away, irritated without really knowing why.

He got up and walked into the kitchen, the swinging door cutting him off from the others. He carefully emptied his plate into the trashcan and proceeded to wash his plate.

The gold plating that went around the plate glinted in the overhead lights and Naruto traced it with his fingers, the cold water still streaming down the plate, making the plate cool to the touch. He closed the tap. He dried the plate with a dishcloth, slowly.

Washing dishes had always been something Naruto hated but he took his time with it now because it gave him time to think. He rubbed the plate, cleaning it, the way he wished he could wipe away the image that was burned in his mind of Sasuke looking at him from across the room. He wiped the plate clean, the way he wished he could wipe his memory clean from thoughts of Sasuke and that day.

That day.

He would give anything to forget that day. How else could he get his thoughts straight, his mind sorted and have his dreams be _dreams_ again and not nightmares?

He wanted to forget. In his mind, Sasuke stood between him and everything else in the world. Because, if he thought, real hard – really _really_ hard – Worlds made up of everything within him collided and none of them mattered at all. In the end, all that was left were the Words Sasuke had left him with.

_"You're my best friend." _

And they seemed to fade. And sometimes, Naruto wondered if he'd heard Sasuke wrong.

And other times, he wished he had.

By the time Naruto left the kitchen, the others had begun eating their desserts. One look at him and Sakura thrust a bowl of ice cream under his nose, smiling pleadingly up at him.

In their Genin days, this expression used to be a knock on the head and an insult. But now, although it was gentler, less of a demand and more of a plea, the meaning behind it remained the same.

_Please be good to Sasuke-kun._

Naruto wanted to shove the bowl of ice cream back at Sakura and leave. Instead, he gripped the bowl till his knuckles turned white. Over the ice cream he saw Shikamaru and Neji, who were sitting side by side, watching him steadily. Naruto turned away from them and sat down and began eating his ice cream. It felt like eating tar.

As soon as Sasuke stood, the room went silent. The silence was different however. It was not awkward. It was expectant. Sasuke watched as Naruto shifted slightly. Apart from himself, Naruto was the only one who had remained silent the entire time he was here. Even Neji contributed to the conversation about nothing.

"Thank you all for coming." The thanks fell just slightly short of flat and Sasuke tried to adjust his tone. "And thank you, Sakura, for doing all of this for me."

Sakura didn't say anything but she smiled meekly, her eyes darting over to Naruto.

"I am here to apologize."

At this, Naruto's head shot up and he looked at Sasuke, who was steadily avoiding his gaze. He set his bowl of ice cream down, having eaten only two bites and carefully skirted the room so he was standing in the corner farthest away from Sasuke and, coincidentally, the corner closest to the door.

"Tomorrow is my trial with the Village Council so I thought it best to apologize now. I am, though most of you may think otherwise, very sorry."

Neji watched Sasuke and he felt Hinata shift besides him.

"I am not asking for forgiveness." Sasuke said. "I just want you to know that I am."

Sasuke's eyes traveled over everyone's heads to rest on Naruto's face. Neji could see the frown that Naruto wore.

"Sorry. You're sorry. You're very sorry." Naruto whispered.

The room was still and everyone seemed to be holding their breaths, not daring to turn around to look at Naruto. The only one facing him was Sasuke.

When the front door was tugged open with a force that ripped the door chain off and then was slammed with just as much force; Neji was not surprised. No one in the room was surprised. Everyone had expected Naruto to react this way. What _did_ surprise the others however, was that Sasuke went after him.

Immediately Neji stood, ready to pull Sasuke back and ask him if he was insane to go after Naruto. But a gentle hand on his arm stopped him and looking down, white eyes stared up into his own and he sat back down after a moment's hesitation. After all; Hinata's eyes always saw what his did not.

It was raining outside and Naruto turned his face up to the rain, thankful for the cool drops. He felt like he was burning; heating up. Behind him, Sasuke stood.

"You won't listen will you?" Sasuke demanded, his hands clenching into fists.

"I'd be an idiot to listen." Naruto said, quietly, before he turned to face Sasuke.

"You _are_ an idiot." Sasuke snapped; irritation and anger rising in him.

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Do you honestly expect me to listen? Why? What have you got to say that you haven't said before?"

"Naruto. I never apologized before tonight."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly before he looked away, angry.

"I—You…You don't even know what you're apologizing for!" Naruto shouted, fists clenched at his side as he stared angrily at the ground.

"Everything." Sasuke breathed.

Naruto's eyes widened again before he looked up.

"What?" Naruto asked, taking a subconscious step back from Sasuke.

"Everything. I'm sorry for everything."

Naruto looked at him, his gaze steady.

"Sasuke," his name rolled easily off his tongue and Naruto fought to suppress the unexplainable shudder that followed the name. "You don't even know what 'everything' means."

Naruto watched as Sasuke faltered for a moment – just a millisecond, but it happened and Naruto caught it. He stuffed his hands inside his pockets and looked up again, first at the sky and then at one of the apartment windows. He could see Sakura's outline, silhouetted against the lights of her apartment.

Sasuke watched Naruto's expression and envied the other boy. He had always been so open about his emotions. He had never been afraid to show them. Never been ashamed of them. When Naruto looked back at Sasuke, it was with the same, drained expression he had seen before. The emptiness in the blue eyes shocked him again. And once more, Sasuke got the feeling that Naruto was using him to fill his eyes again. Naruto looked away and when he looked back at Sasuke, Sasuke felt as if he had been thrown off balance.

"Everything." Naruto said quietly, sadly. "I wish, I could show you. What everything means."

When Naruto walked away again, Sasuke promised – no, he swore to himself, that that would be the last time he'd let Naruto walk away. He engraved the image of Naruto walking away in his mind because it would be the last time he'd ever see it. Next time, he wouldn't let Naruto run.

He wouldn't let Naruto run and make the same mistake he had.

When Sasuke returned to Sakura's apartment, everyone looked at him expectantly.

"He left." Was all he said.

Sasuke sat in his old spot near the wall and not soon afterwards, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji were leaving; followed by Kiba, Shino and Tenten. Hinata stayed behind to help Sakura with the cleaning up; even after Sakura insisted – several times – that she had it covered. So the kunoichi disappeared into the kitchen, followed by Lee, who had the duty of putting away leftovers.

Neji was standing, looking out of the window Sasuke sat next to. When Sasuke felt Neji's gaze upon him, his first reaction was to ignore it. Instead, he turned his head and looked right back at Neji, his gaze unfaltering.

"When you left, we all thought Naruto would change." Neji said, his voice even and emotionless.

Sasuke scoffed. "Well, obviously he hasn't."

Neji chuckled, bitterness lacing the sound.

"Seven years have passed, Uchiha, and you expect him to not have changed?"

Sasuke stood then, not wanting to have to look up at the Hyuuga.

"You know, of the promise he'd made to Sakura." Neji whispered, not so much as flinching at the glare directed towards him. "That promise consumed him, and all he wanted was to bring you back. He would have, as well if…" Neji paused then, as if he thought he'd said too much.

He frowned as he turned to look outside in the rain.

"Complete your sentences, Hyuuga." Sasuke snapped, his own dark eyes having never left the Hyuuga's face.

Neji turned back to Sasuke. "It is not my place."

Sasuke frowned but said nothing. He merely sat back down, looking straight ahead.

Five minutes later, the others exited from the kitchen and both Neji and Hinata left soon afterwards. Sasuke trained his eyes on Sakura and Lee picked up on it.

"I'll leave you two alone. I'll be in the shower if you need me." Lee whispered.

Sakura nodded, before sitting down on the couch. Sasuke stood, and sat on the armchair adjacent to the sofa.

"I want to thank you again, Sakura."

"It really isn't a problem. I'm only sorry Naruto left like that." She smiled, sadly.

Sasuke nodded but didn't say anything. Sakura reached over and patted him gently on the shoulder nearest to her.

"Neji was telling me. About Naruto's promise to you." Sasuke said, resisting the urge to shrug off her hand.

Sakura's smile disappeared and so did her hand from his shoulder.

"It was, in the end, impossible for him to fulfill. First the war broke out – and you could imagine how torn he was. But he stayed. To defend the village. He figured you could take care of yourself. Most of us had just assumed you were gone. Naruto never did. He never lost faith in you."

Sasuke was startled to hear this. By the way Naruto looked at him and spoke to him, it seemed that faith was the last thing Naruto had in Sasuke.

"He had always hoped to bring you back, he really did. But then…then…seventeen months into the war, something happened to Naruto. He became…He was always ill and although he was still a force to be reckoned with, he was in constant pain. He never told any of us, until Hinata discovered something strange about Naruto. His Chakra kept on flickering and…we had no idea what was happening."

Sakura had to pause to collect herself. Her mind was swimming with memories and she couldn't make out one from the other. Sakura breathed in a gulp of air.

"But we didn't think it was…too bad. But we kept him away from the frontlines. Of course. He didn't listen."

The smile on Sakura's face almost made him flinch. It was a desperate attempt to make everything seem lighter yet it did the opposite.

"He got hurt." Sakura whispered and Sasuke knew, that Naruto was more than just 'hurt'. "We barely recognized him…We thought we'd lost him. But he was alive. That scary ability he has to heal kept him alive. But after that, there was something definitely wrong with Naruto. Before, it was just the flickering Chakra – the irregularities with his Chakra. But now…His body…his…cells…kept…on tearing away from him. Not to the point where he's mutating of course. But…just. Disappearing – and yet, not really. Just. He's being replaced. By something else. We've been looking into it. But it's been more than a year and we still have nothing substantial."

Sasuke was silent but inside his mind, he had a thousand questions. He didn't get it. Not really. Replaced? What the _fuck_ did _that_ mean!

"After the war ended, he immediately wanted to go look for you. Even during the war, when he had no real specific missions or the village could do without him, he wanted to look for you. But Tsunade forbade him. I don't know what that woman said to him to make him listen."

Sakura said, her eyes on her hands which were in her lap.

Sasuke smirked, but not unkindly. "Probably threatened his dream of becoming Hokage. She probably told him she wouldn't ever let him become Hokage. Ever."

At this, Sakura looked up again.

"Yes. She did. But he didn't care. He said it didn't mean anything. He said he didn't deserve the title if he couldn't even keep a simple promise. That threat was not what made him stay."

That night, as Sasuke stared at his walls, he knew he would give everything he had to understand what was happening around him. It was all falling apart.

He remembered nights like these when he hated himself. Loathed himself. He'd stay in the shower and scrub himself raw. He'd felt unclean. And he'd hated himself for it.

Most of all though, he had hated Naruto. Hated Naruto for being stronger. Hated Naruto for injuring him back in the battle at the Valley of the End. He hated Naruto for not understanding, even though the complete _moron_ tried to make sense of everything. Didn't he know he would _never_ understand!

He'd hated Naruto for all these things.

But he had _loathed_ Naruto for not coming to get him. For leaving him there.

He had hated Naruto for forgetting.

But Sasuke knew now.

Naruto had not forgotten about him.

And he'd possibly thought about Sasuke as much as Sasuke had thought about him. Even if it was unwillingly.

Naruto had not forgotten about him.

He hadn't come for him, not because he _wouldn't_, but because he couldn't.

Maybe that didn't matter anymore. All Sasuke knew was that he'd give away everything to understand what was happening around him. Everything was falling apart.

And Sasuke had to wonder: When exactly had Naruto become 'Everything'?

* * *

ehhehehe...Gomen for the...uh...lack of updates. hee. Just. You know. Been...Busy. lol. This was finished for a while now. But then I decided to add some stuff. Heh. Turned into a 10 page chapter. oO; Whoooops. My bad. 


	6. Unsaid

**Chapter Rating: **PG - 15 for Language

**To My Reviewers:  
silent laugh: **haha. keep them reviews coming in. is attention whore  
**The Lazy Fairy: **By all means, keep on gushing. teehee Anyway, I hope you like this chappiiieee.  
**dreamsraven: **Gomen about the lack of updates...D:  
**Lady Samurai: **Here...tissue!  
**neko yoka: **ah. this isn't 'soon' to you, is it? sweat drops Gomen  
**Redroseprincess678: **Thank you. Well, I had originally planned for Sasuke to be all demented and omfgi'mmaeatyourbabies!Evil. But that didn't happen. As I continued to write, Sasuke was put more and more into his place and getting shat on. lol. He's by no means _humbled, _but he's defintely less bastardy. I don't like sasuke at all. Maybe this is my way of trying to redeem the ass in my eyes. lol.  
**whiterose03: **:3 Well, if Naru-chan dies, you'll be the first to know. Or second. Or fiftieth. Depending on when you read the story...

* * *

**- VI -**  
** Unsaid **

The pain was eating him alive and really, all he could do was lie back and enjoy the ride. He stared blankly at his ceiling – all around him his apartment was in tatters: signs of a break in and a struggle that never really existed. Or perhaps the struggling had.

It had taken almost everything Naruto had to crawl into bed and throw the blanket over himself. He was drenched to the bone from the rain but he knew that that wasn't the reason why he had been shaking. But the shaking and shivering had stopped soon enough. His body was too tired to make the effort.

Eventually, as he had expected, the pain faded and what was left was a dull throbbing; a numb pulsing that began and ended at his core.

Perhaps the only consolation he had was that he'd been expecting this. His day, which begun with Sasuke would end with Sasuke and wasn't that just _great_. He'd been wrong about his day creeping towards hell. It had not crept.

It had spiraled away into oblivion and, had he not been in great pain, he was sure he would have shouted and yelled at the top of his lungs about how fucking _great_ everything was. He sighed, and winced at the pain _that_ caused him before he frowned. A hand came up to touch the corner of his mouth to wipe away the blood there. Coughing up blood was something new. This hadn't happened before.

He brought his fingers up weakly to look at them. There wasn't that much blood. On his fingers, his blood was thin and slightly orange; filling up the cracks and whorls on his fingertips. He licked his lips gingerly and shielded his weary eyes with an arm and shut his eyes so tight, white bursts clouded the space behind his eyelids. It was to keep his tears at bay.

For all the pain coursing through his body, for the fatigue that drenched him to the bone; there was still enough in him to cry.

At that moment, he would have endured a thousand years of torture – he would have willingly been tied up and stabbed a million times over with blunt, rusty knives. He really would have. The pain would distract him from tears.

And even then, if tears fell – hot and angry as they were – it wouldn't be because of Sasuke.

o-o-o-o-o

Sasuke was not expecting Mercy.

What he was expecting, was that they'd throw him into the lowest, dirtiest, darkest, dampest prison cell they could find – have them all laugh a little at his Uchiha name – and then maybe have him executed for treachery. Maybe even torture him a little for information on the company he used to keep.

He had known there would be no smiles in the spacious, circular room that he stood in. He wore a ceremonial kimono, bearing the Uchiha crest on the back. He had had it made a while ago, before he'd come back to Konoha. He was unbound and all the faces before him were as if they were set in grim, grey stone.

Sasuke had never seen Naruto so serious in his life.

Naruto sat to the left of Tsunade, who sat in the center of the nine people before Sasuke. They were all seated with legs tucked beneath them and palms resting on their knees. Except for Tsunade, who had a low table set before her, with papers on it. She had her hands resting on that.

Throughout the trial, Sasuke had kept his eyes trained away from Naruto and the three times he had let his gaze pass over Naruto, Naruto was not looking at him but at the wall behind him, his lips set in a thin line and a slight crease at his brow.

He hadn't looked angry. But Sasuke had not looked at him long enough to read his expression.

In the beginning, there had only been Tsunade and to her right, sat the four village advisors. Then, a door had opened behind them, a half hour into his trial and out stepped four others, taking their places to Tsunade's left. The last one had been Naruto.

When Sasuke saw Naruto, he knew, his life was just about over.

The four that had entered with Naruto had all of their faces except for their eyes covered with cloth. All of them, except for Naruto. Naruto must have not seen the point. Sasuke would have recognized his eyes immediately.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you do not deny that you left Konohagakure on your own will. Left Konohagakure without consent from the Hokage." Utatane Koharu began, her eyes emotionless as she spoke from Tsunade's right.

Sasuke nodded his head to verify this.

"Please make your reply verbal."

"Yes." Sasuke said, his voice steady and firm.

"Neither do you deny that five of your comrades had been sent after you; three of whom came back to the village in critical condition. One of these three having been put in such a condition by your hand."

"Yes."

Tsunade looked at him, her hazel eyes were hard, anger flashing behind the once emotionless façade. The anger was personal and wounded. Sasuke puzzled at the sudden intimate show of anger in Tsunade's eyes.

"In conclusion, you had injured a comrade in order to leave the village."

Sasuke was about to reply with a yes but froze. He looked at Tsunade – eyes once more blank - before looking over at Naruto for the fourth time in that hour. Naruto was looking at him for the first time.

"Yes or no. Please answer the question."

Sasuke had never been more confused in his life. He frowned, looking at Naruto. Naruto's head was moving up and down by the merest fraction. He wouldn't have caught the tiny hint of a nod if he hadn't been looking so closely. His eyes turned back to the others who seemed to have not noticed.

"Yes." He said, his eyes then narrowing on Naruto. Naruto was looking at the wall again.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Your response."

"Uchiha Sasuke has been telling the truth so far." Naruto replied, eyes still resting on the wall.

Sasuke tensed. It took all of his willpower to keep from staring at Naruto. A pair of white eyes that were unmistakably Neji's, shifted to look at Naruto, narrowing just like Sasuke's had a few seconds ago. Still, Neji kept silent, his white eyes focusing on Sasuke.

Tsunade spoke for perhaps the second time during the trial. "Uchiha Sasuke, the punishment for Missing-nin, once captured by Hunter-nin is death." She paused, looking at him. "The punishment, does not change, even when the Missing-nin returns on his free will and gives his self up."

Tsunade stood, her hands clasping behind her back as she walked towards Sasuke.

Sasuke had not been expecting mercy.

So he was not expecting this.

"However. To every rule, there are exceptions. This case happens to be one of them."

One by one, the four people who had sat on Tsunade's right stood and left through the same door Naruto and the others had entered.

"Behind me are four of your comrades. All of whom have vouched for your life. We have no evidence that any of the secrets of Konohagakure were given away by you. Nor do we have any evidence that you were involved in the war against Konohagakure, unless you wish to state otherwise. Thus saying, you are to be under house arrest. You are _not_ allowed to leave Konoha for _any_ circumstances unless I explicitly say you may." Tsunade paused, standing before Sasuke. Although she was a few inches shorter than he was, she seemed so much bigger than he. "Your title of shinobi will be stripped till farther notice but you do not gain all of the rights of a civilian. Is this clear?"

Sasuke nodded, still in some sort of shock.

"Yes." He said finally.

Of course, Sasuke had never been afraid of death. Had they executed him on the spot, he wouldn't have flinched. He would have died with his jaw set and eyes staring out to the horizon. He would have died with no pain evident on his face and that would be it.

He was not afraid of pain.

Not anymore.

But, Sasuke was still shaken and shook.

Naruto had not told them about how Sasuke had tried to take his life. Again, he knew, he would have given anything to understand what was going on around him. His eyes focused on Naruto, wondering at how the loudest, most hyper-active ninja in Konohagakure could sit so _still_.

When he looked back at Tsunade, there was a finality in her expression that gave Sasuke no doubts that his trial was over. He bowed low at the waste and she returned it with one of hers, less deep and quicker, before she let out a sigh and turned to leave. Sasuke did not move from where he stood and he watched as Naruto stood to leave. Naruto didn't so much as glance back as he left the room.

Neji was the first to remove his mask, before Shikamaru and Chouji did the same. Neji's face was blank, his eyes regarding Sasuke slowly.

"You lied." He said, as he and the others stood.

Shikamaru looked curiously at Neji and then at Sasuke.

"But then, so did Naruto."

Sasuke frowned and then he saw that Neji was not being hostile. Neji had a thoughtful expression on his face before he looked back at Sasuke. "Naruto had always had so much faith in you. You should thank him that you're still alive."

Neji turned to leave, Shikamaru and Chouji going ahead of him. Sasuke stood his ground, his hands curling into fists besides him. "I never asked for his pity."

Neji froze and then turned, to look at Sasuke.

"Uchiha, had Naruto _pitied_ you, he would have let you die."

Neji turned then and walked out of the room, leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts.

Sasuke was left wishing that what Neji had just said wasn't so damned _true_.

o-o-o-o-o

Naruto looked down at Konoha from his perch on Hokage Mountain. He was beginning to come up here more and more often, particularly after Sasuke's trial. It was a place to clear up his head. If anyone had been looking for him for the past two weeks, nobody had thought of looking up here. Which, in Naruto's humble opinion, was pretty stupid. If he were them, Hokage Mountain would be the first place he'd look. Naruto smiled sadly down at the village.

Who was he kidding? No one was looking for him. He got up and began his walk back to his apartment. His stomach growled and he patted it lightly, frowning. He stuffed a hand in his pocket and pulled out a meal pass for Ichiraku's. It was his last one, which meant he would have to either start paying for his ramen or buy cup ramen from the grocery store. Either way, he'd be spending money.

The lights were on all around the village, outshining the stars above. Naruto weaved his way through the crowds and made his way towards the Ichiraku Ramen stand. The lights from the stand spilled over on the street, bathing it in its warm yellow light.

As he approached, he saw that two silhouettes obstructed the light and upon coming closer, he saw that one of them was Kakashi. He would have usually ran up to Kakashi and swiped up an opportunity for a free meal without using his meal pass, but this time, he turned on his heel and decided to buy cup ramen from the grocer's instead.

Everyone would have been surprised at how easily Naruto could avoid people. But he could. But then, the fact that no one was exactly looking for him made avoiding people easier.

He thanked the girl at the counter of the grocers who had eyed his three bags of ramen. It would last him about a week more and then he could always go off and buy some more. Till then, he guessed he had enough things in his apartment to become a complete recluse. The idea of holing up in his apartment wasn't a half-bad one, if it weren't for the fact that Naruto got bored easily. Although he got a few decent channels on TV, his television wasn't working properly and washed everything with yellow.

It made Naruto constantly need to go the bathroom.

He paused at his apartment door, but only for a moment, turning away from the figure that had been waiting for him. He managed to open the door after a few moments of struggling with the key and the lock – if his hands weren't shaking the key would have gotten into the lock the _first_ time – and he entered his apartment, taking a few steps in before kicking the door closed behind him.

He heard the door stop just before it slammed shut, a hand stopping it.

He didn't turn around.

Taking off his sandals, he proceeded to put away the ramen he'd just bought. He heard the door click shut behind him, but he didn't turn around.

He began boiling water and prepared the contents of the cup ramen as the water boiled. He strained to hear the sound of sandals being removed and set neatly to the side. But he didn't turn around.

As the electric kettle clicked off, he poured the water into the cup and closed the lid and waited for the three minutes for his Ramen to be ready.

It was the worst three minutes of his life he found, and not because he was anxious to eat his ramen.

The sound of sandals being removed never came. Had Naruto not been a Ninja, he would have thought he was alone. Maybe he had left. Had Naruto been more optimistic, he would have thought he was free to enjoy his ramen after the three minutes were up.

As it were, Naruto _was_ a Ninja, and he _wasn't_ feeling very optimistic just then.

So he didn't turn around.

"Not looking at me isn't going to make me disappear."

Naruto breathed out, the air escaping his lips was harsh. Naruto kept his eyes trained on his cup of Ramen, watching the steam seep up from under the aluminum lid.

"What do you want?" Naruto said, his voice came out hoarse – like he hadn't used it in forever.

"Meet me outside. When you're done with that."

Naruto turned then, his eyes meeting Sasuke's. Sasuke turned to open the door.

"You expect me to come." Naruto's question didn't come out as a question at all and he found himself glaring fiercely at Sasuke's back.

Sasuke paused, his hand resting on the doorknob. He nodded, not turning around. "Yes." He said, before turning the doorknob and disappearing outside.

As it were, Naruto wasn't hungry anymore and he stared at his Ramen for what seemed like forever. He swallowed hard. If he didn't go, he knew Sasuke would taunt him about it for forever. If he _did_…Naruto backtracked and wondered for a moment if Sasuke would tease and taunt him about anything ever again. He wondered if he'd ever give Sasuke the chance again. It was different now. With a sinking feeling to his stomach, Naruto knew it was _very_ different.

He put the Cup Ramen into his fridge and walked to his door. He slipped on his sandals and quietly walked down the stairs of his apartment block. When he was outside the building, he stared up at the sky for a moment; the sheet of summer's night sky was spotted with stars. There wasn't a cloud in sight.

When he looked back down, he found himself eye to eye with Sasuke. It gave him a sort of smug pride that he was just as tall as the other now. Sasuke eyed him for a moment, looked like he was going to say something but then stopped. A gentle jerk of his head signaled to Naruto that he should follow him.

Naruto did not hesitate as his stride matched Sasuke's. As they walked side by side, Sasuke with his hands in his pocket and Naruto's behind his head; Sasuke felt oddly small. He felt young again. Twelve again. But a glance to his side reminded him he wasn't. Where a smile or a stupid grin used to be, there was a thoughtful expression which he knew was hiding a sharp impatience and simmering anger.

Naruto found it odd that he had known where they were going. That he had known that somehow, they would end up here, in the middle of their old training grounds. Not the place where they were made Genins. No. That was team seven's training ground. This was _theirs_. The trees around them were recovering from the damage they'd done seven years before. Not a single one had been left unharmed except for one. The one Sasuke used to sit under while Naruto trained by himself. Sasuke would watch and throw occasional insults while Naruto would remind Sasuke over and over again how great of a Ninja he'd be someday. How he'd kick his ass. Sasuke had always scoffed. Every single time.

He'd found it odd that he had known where they were going but as they automatically stood at the center of the ring of trees, three meters apart, directly opposite each other; he found it odd that he'd found it strange at all. All this – all this was to be expected. This is the way it was.

As both automatically assumed fighting stance and both automatically registered the change in fighting stance from the other since they last fought; Naruto felt it the most natural thing in the world. That this was how it was meant to be.

When they both struck at the same time, Sasuke felt something in him soar.

Fighting was something he could do.

And he did it well.

Naruto felt an instant exhilaration rush through him – a heady rush that was quick to hit even though he was reluctant to admit it to himself. But he couldn't kid himself. He hadn't had a challenge like this in a long time.

And at the back of his mind, he acknowledged the fact that he'd trained all this time for _this_.

Three minutes into the fight, Sasuke found his eyes blazing red. _These eyes are his blood._ The unbidden thought shocked Sasuke but he didn't miss a beat throwing several kunai in Naruto's direction.

Naruto dodged five skillfully and with equal ease, caught the sixth and seventh, one between the index and middle finger of each hand before throwing them back at Sasuke with deadly accuracy. But Sasuke wasn't Uchiha for nothing. He dodged them without blinking.

Five minutes later Sasuke found himself getting into the rhythm of the fight. The dance was unfamiliar. Both their techniques had changed so much since they'd last fought.

As Sasuke watched closely at how Naruto dodged his side kicks, another odd thought popped into his mind.

They were learning each other again.

Naruto's brow was furrowed in concentration and Sasuke knew it wasn't from the effort of his moves. He was memorizing Sasuke just as Sasuke was memorizing him. But Sasuke was quicker at learning thanks to his bloodline. His eyes finally activated themselves – this time he wasn't just watching with them. He was attacking.

Naruto faltered for a second and in that second Sasuke took the opportunity to knee him hard in the stomach and elbowing him hard in the spinal cord in quick succession. Naruto dodged his next hit and Sasuke smirked when he saw the other was carefully avoiding looking into Sasuke's eyes.

With the Sharingan Sasuke noticed the pattern Naruto made all too easily. It was almost too easy when he planned his next attack and when his body executed the move quickly and efficiently.

So he was surprised when Naruto's fist met his stomach and he felt a kick hard to his side.

His eyes widened slightly at Naruto as he blocked Naruto's next attack. Naruto had feigned the pattern? He smirked and looked on at his old team mate. Naruto caught the smirk and something in his eyes eased. Sasuke watched the blue eyes. There was something familiar in them. Something from a long time ago that Sasuke had almost forgotten. A small sparkle and a shine and Sasuke's smirk was met with one of Naruto's.

Neither let the other rest and their movements were quick and swift, hitting where they intended if they weren't being blocked or dodged. The initial rush of adrenaline was overthrown by something else - something headier and sharper. Sasuke breathed in swiftly as he dodged another attack and countered with one of his own.

Naruto's eyes narrowed on Sasuke, careful to avoid looking into the other's eyes. He judged the other's movements by concentrating on the other's hands and feet. He glanced occasionally over at Sasuke's face to see the other's expression. But he firmly avoided the other's eyes.

Sasuke was thoroughly impressed. No one had lasted this long in a fight with him before. He was not holding back in his attacks. Strangely enough though, Naruto seemed to be and Sasuke pounded the inhibitions out. Still, there was something distinctly unusual in Naruto's fighting style. He was not using any Genjutsus, which was normal for Naruto, who had never been good with that style; but neither was he using very many Ninjutsus. Only the basics. There was no more kage bunshin no justsu, which he knew was Naruto's favorite.

He frowned slightly that someone could work him up like this with only basic Genin techniques and Taijutsu.

Minutes passed. Maybe hours. Neither really noticed nor cared. This was no longer fighting. This was a battle.

They were so different. Each was the other's worst enemy. With Sasuke's ability to read moves, Naruto's unpredictability simply didn't exist. With Naruto's sheer stubbornness, stamina and lack of openings, Sasuke couldn't use the full extent of his Sharingan.

As they fought, it became clearer and clearer: They had been made for this, to fight each other. Techniques had been honed to defeat the other. They'd trained for this.

As the final clashes of kunai rang sharply in their ears and the dust they'd disturbed settled, they looked at each other, both breathing hard. Both had managed to get their kunai under the other's throats and they looked at each other, breathing in deep gulps of air; standing an arm's length apart.

They may have stood that for forever. They challenged each other with their eyes, demanding the other back down. Daring the other to use the kunai for its intended purpose.

As the silence settled and the gulping of breaths became calmer, it became clearer and clearer. Whatever they were made for, this was not what they were meant to do. At the end of the day, the scorch-marks left on each other by their eyes throbbed more painfully than any wound could. The scars left behind by stupid insults and words chosen clumsily ran far deeper than any battle scar could or ever would. The wounds they'd left each other by their actions were livid and bright white against the skin of their memories.

They pulled away from each other simultaneously, neither able to speak or able to look at each other.

Sasuke looked at Naruto's feet and watched as Naruto dropped his kunai, turned around and walked away.

Sasuke's fists clenched at his side. He'd promised himself he wouldn't let Naruto turn away again; walk away again. He would have called out to him; demanded he turn around so that Sasuke could punch him. But he didn't. As his eyes shot up to look at the back of Naruto's head, he threw his own kunai to the ground. It pierced the ground next to Naruto's. Naruto didn't turn around at the sound and kept on walking.

He'd promised himself he wouldn't let Naruto walk away again. So he walked away with him.

In the silence, Sasuke realized they had not spoken since he'd left Naruto's apartment. But for now, it was okay. It was okay.

Words weren't needed anyway.


	7. Uncover

**Chapter Rating: **PG - 12

**To My Reviewers:  
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**the troublesome twins: **iyay! Glad you're liking it so far. Lessee what I have in store for Naru-chan, eh?  
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**GaaraBelongsToMe:** Sasuke's such a dunce sometimes, ne? lol. but they're all idiots. They're BOYS, for God's sake. Totally incapable of doing anything "right". hahaha. ;) Oh, and about Gaara belonging to you, that's funny, coz I could have SWORN he belonged to me. hahaha.  
**srusse87: **Your pokes have turned into stabs and I had to update. And here it is. Hopefully...uh...You won't have to reread everything to remember? hahahaha.  
**IcerenaMarie: **I'm glad that you enjoyed my story so far. I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter. thank you very much for the review. It's reviews like yours that really really spur me to write on. I'm sorry for the lag in updates. :)  
**iyfanatic: **Lol. Neither am I. But it's the only sort that I can actually write. Gah. Angst kills me. I hate angst. lol. Too much angst in the world and here I am shovelling my own crap into the pile. lol. But yeah. Angst apparently makes the sasuxnaru world go round. ;)  
**Dragon Keeper Erishla: **sorry for the lag in updates:)

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-VII-  
Uncover**

_The rain - it was just so cold. It was unsteady and tumultuous. The scent of forest and ground was heady. The ache that pulsated through his arm nearly crippled him. But with the same determination he had when trying to kill Naruto, he walked on._

_He did not look behind him._

_He just walked on, dizzy with pain and dizzy with confusion._

_No. There was no determination this time. The determination he had was gone. The determination that counted for nothing when put up against the bond he swore to break._

_There was no determination this time. He walked in a daze, the pain in his arm ignored or perhaps just outshined by the pain that kept thrumming at his chest. That peculiar feeling. The spastic convulsing in his chest that made him feel as if he'd lost his family all over again._

_Like he'd lost everything again._

_There was no determination this time. But he kept on walking anyway._

o-o-o-o-o_  
_

Light came through the blinds in slivers of silver; strips of green from trees and strips of clear white fell on his face. He turned away from his window, his gaze landing on the stains on the floor. His blood, dried now, was illuminated by the streams of light. There were only five spots, small as they were, it did not take a genius to know that coughing up blood was not a good thing.

He blinked once, twice, thrice. And then the pain came back.

He turned in his bed, so that his head leaned over the edge. He coughed vehemently and watched as three more spots of blood joined the others already staining his floor. He turned again, the light hitting his blue eyes. He shielded his face with a hand, his eyes glazing over as a numbness he forced himself into took over his body.

He blinked once, twice, thrice. The pain didn't leave.

After a moment's hesitation, he sat up. He looked down at himself, before pulling off his white shirt, damp from the sweat of an uneasy sleep. The seal that curled around his navel glowed red. Touching it, he expected to feel pain. There was nothing. Perhaps it was because he was still groggy from sleep: but the spiral shifted a few degrees before settling again. Naruto's eyes darkened as he looked down at the spiral which was hot to the touch now.

His eyes shifted to the ground where the green and silver light danced still. And then the pain was gone.

o-o-o-o-o

Rebuilding Konoha was an arduous process and if anybody thought they would get their village back just the way it was, they were being delusional or were obviously in denial.

Sasuke knew that once a place was struck by tragedy, the sadness stains the very ground. Tragedy won't fade away as long as there are people alive who remember it.

Walking through the Uchiha compound, he was sure, that the walls were held together by his thoughts alone. He walked without looking around him, his body moving on auto-pilot. There were some things that you just can't forget.

Pushing open the door to the small apartment that was his – but then again, the whole compound was his – he walked to his bedroom. The window he'd expected to be open wasn't, and the picture frame still lay face down. He walked over to the window sill and picked up the frame, little shards of glass falling from the frame to drop on the window sill. Little shards of broken rainbow, which Sasuke ignored.

The photograph was still intact – or rather the photographs. Undoing the back of the broken photo frame, he took out the photographs; holding them as one would with a hand of cards. Four in all.

He slipped the two newest photographs into his pocket. The last two, he looked down at before slipping them into his pocket as well, wondering what Sakura had thought when she saw them. Carefully, he walked around the bedroom, with every intention of taking only what he wanted and leaving the compound for good.

He did not want to come back.

Walking out of his apartment, he closed the door behind him. He had taken nothing with him, finding no reason to. When he found himself in front of his old home, he stopped.

Carefully taking off his sandals, he slid the door open and walked in, sliding the door closed behind him.

With darkness slipping in with him from behind the closing door, Sasuke stood still and dared himself to breathe.

He could. There was nothing wrong with his breathing. It was just very wrong to be breathing in _here_. There was a faint smell of decay that hung in the air. Pools of light formed from where the boards on the windows had fallen off. The light just made the dark seem darker.

He walked through, not touching anything. He passed his old room without looking in. He passed his brother's room and paused for a few moments at the door. He didn't turn to look inside. He just went on through the house, disturbing the dust on the floor, the particles floating in the air like tiny discolored snowflakes.

He watched them for a while as they danced in a pool of light, before he turned towards the last room in the corridor. The door was open still, and he could hear the screams that hung in the air. He resisted the urge to cover his ears to drown them out. He knew though, there was no silence on earth that could end the screaming.

Hours or mere seconds may have passed before Sasuke moved from his spot at the door way. When he finally stepped through, he stopped again and waited. He waited for the screaming to amplify. He waited for shivers to run through his spine. He waited for the memories to come back and flood him all at once. He waited for the moment where he would drown in the sick turbulent remembrance of the past.

He waited. And none of those things happened.

Instead, he found a deep sorrow settle on his heart and it seemed to weigh him down; the feeling of grief. Suddenly he was a little boy again and he had just lost his parents. His brother – his own blood – had taken away all family he ever had. There was no anger in his heart. Just confusion, sorrow and loneliness.

He would have given anything and everything at that moment, to understand.

Because really, truly; he didn't understand.

He didn't even want his parents back anymore. That hope had gone. He didn't want his aunts and uncles back. He didn't want his family back anymore. He knew there was no returning of that particular loss. And as the setting sun outside turned the room a familiar crimson through the paper walls and windows, Sasuke finally moved.

He wouldn't be taking anything out of this house. There was nothing here he wanted to keep.

Pulling out the last two pictures from his pocket, he dusted the top of the bedside table and set the two pictures down, side by side. He left the room then, resisting the urge to shut the door behind him. He reasoned that there would be no need to. All of it had leaked out already.

He left the house and he left the compound. Inside his parent's room, the crimson of sunset began to fade as night began to weigh in on the house. The portraits of a young Sasuke and Itachi and the photograph of his parents lay on the bedside table, the smiling faces staring up at a darkening ceiling before a wind came in and blew them off the table so that they landed face down.

Sasuke wouldn't have cared if he had known. To him, the smiling faces of the others no longer existed. To him, his own smiling face had been lost all those years ago, with the screaming.

And no silence on earth could bring it back.

o-o-o-o-o

Shikamaru glanced lazily over at Naruto, the other shinobi being unusually quiet. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. No. It wasn't unusual at all. They were all so used to Naruto being loud as a child. He was always the class clown and getting into trouble constantly. This silence didn't suit Naruto. The silence that began to creep into the other boy steadily over the past seven years.

Either no one had noticed yet or no one was ready to believe it: Naruto was rarely ever loud anymore.

"Stop staring at me, Shikamaru." Naruto mumbled without looking up from the ground.

Shikamaru only shrugged and looked ahead of him.

There was another silence that Shikamaru felt no need to fill. He waited and watched Naruto from the corner of his eyes.

"There's a serious lag in the amount of missions we're getting." Naruto said finally.

Shikamaru's reply consisted of a grunt that could have been interpreted as an agreement or otherwise.

"By 'we' I mean us. And by us, I mean…me."

Shikamaru didn't answer, his gaze shifting up to the sky. The sun was setting. He didn't turn to look at Naruto when the blond laughed. The laugh was laced with anger and scorn.

They reached the gates of Konoha where Naruto could go no farther. Naruto stopped walking and Shikamaru turned to see the other stare at the ground, Naruto's face unreadable. When Naruto finally looked up, Shikamaru raised a hand to say goodbye.

As he left Konoha for a mission, he could feel Naruto's eyes trained on him.

Shikamaru didn't know when it happened or how, but Naruto was rarely ever loud anymore. And Naruto's smiling face was gone as well. Where there had been a smile every time the two bid each other farewell, there was now a blank expression and eyes carefully trained to not reveal a thing.

His smile was gone.

The silence had taken it away.

o-o-o-o-o

Sakura looked outside her window. Dark was beginning to settle in on Konoha like a blanket. Sakura shivered lightly, her arms coming up automatically to wrap around herself.

Winter was descending upon Konoha. Sundown came earlier and earlier now. Looking down at the streets below her, she watched as one by one, the lights on the streets flickered on and then the streets were awash with a warm yellow glow.

She opened the window, leaning against the window sill, breathing in the crisp, cooling air. A wind blew through her hair and she turned her face out to it, smiling gently and sadly.

Looking down again, she could _just_ see Konoha's gates. And she knew, if she were a Hyuuga, she would be able to see Naruto standing there, eyes transfixed on the large wooden gates, hands stuffed in his pockets. She waited, looking out at the road that lead from the gates. Sure enough, after several minutes, she saw a dot that was surely Naruto making its way from the gates. As the dot came closer, she could see Naruto, head down, hands in pockets. She wished now that she was a Hyuuga so she could see him better.

But she didn't need to be one of Hinata's kin to be able to tell that Naruto was upset. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she watched her teammate and friend walking down the street, alone.

All this time, and all the friends he'd ever wanted…and he was still alone.

From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw a shooting star cross the night sky. She turned towards it, about to make a wish. She stopped and turned to look below at Naruto, whose blue eyes were gazing up at the falling star.

Sakura smiled softly again, moving away from the window, closing it behind her.

Her wish went unmade. After all, what right had she to make a wish on someone else's star?

o-o-o-o-o

Kiba leaned against a tree, Akamaru a few feet away, the dog staring up at the sky. Kiba turned to look up above him, to see what had caused his companion to fall silent. And then he saw it: a star making its way across the blue-black heavens. Kiba's strange Inuzuka eyes gazed at the sky intently.

Moving away from the tree and walking slowly towards the gates of Konoha to start his guard duty, Kiba slipped on his ANBU mask. Guarding the gates wasn't the most exhilarating of duties, but it beat the gardening and babysitting of his Genin and even Chuunin days. And someone definitely had to do it.

Reaching the gates, he jumped and was instantly atop the wall.

It wasn't just duty and obligation that held him to guard the gates of Konoha. Yes, he was playing a part in protecting everyone within its walls, and yes, the pay was pretty good – but there was something else. Kiba, with a restlessness that rivaled that of Naruto's, liked the peace that came with resting on the walls, Akamaru besides him and below him; the fireflies of Konoha's lights.

As evening gave way to night, the warm yellow lights dimmed to make way for red neon and bright green signs that blinked on and off at regular intervals. Although Konoha was not known for its night life, it did have one. As a ninja, life was short and the opinion was, having a short life meant you had to get it wherever you could.

Beyond the cluster of gaudy lights and neon facades, Kiba could see the huddle of homes, doors lit by lanterns and bedrooms lit by candlelight. As a ninja, life was short. There were those who chose to live it as if on speed and those who chose to live it around others. They lived in houses whose foundations had been rocked not too long ago but still stood as homes – homes whose foundations were the people who lived in them.

Later on, he knew, towards dawn, the neon lights would fade and the clubs and bars would empty and out would stumble ninjas of all ranks; more than half of them would be so completely wasted, they wouldn't be able to walk. Then their companions would pick them up and drag them back home. Kiba would see once more, the pain etched on faces of those who were sober, sad eyes passing over their drunk companions. The sober ones would wonder, if all of it was worth it and those who were drunk, would have bleary thoughts of feeling warmth and wondering where it was coming from.

Kiba would have bet on an arm or leg that almost every single person down there, drunk or otherwise, was wondering what they were doing wrong. Was wondering if it was all worth it and wishing they'd actually _live_ instead of exist.

Akamaru sat up, eyes trained on a lone figure walking towards the gates. Kiba didn't move. Noticing that Kiba did not seem bothered by the figure below them, Akamaru settled back down.

Every night since his return, Sasuke came to the gates without fail. At first, Kiba was weary, keeping a close eye on Sasuke's every move. But so far, all Sasuke ever did was stand before the gates and look at them blankly. Kiba still watched him, but it was different now. He didn't so much as _watch_ Sasuke as he did observe him.

He could see, as Sasuke stood there in front of the gates, he wanted to leave. Nothing tethered Sasuke to Konoha anymore – all ties to the village had been cut away from him when his family died. Kiba could hardly imagine how it would feel to someday wake up and realize that the entire Inuzuka clan had gone.

Perhaps, because Kiba had always been so outgoing and had ties to Konoha outside his immediate clan, he would stay. In fact, he would have surrounded himself with friends. Pretend for a while that everything was fine. But he knew, the others would catch on.

And suddenly, Kiba could make sense of Naruto's words all those years ago.

"_No matter how hard you try…try to cover it up…We're always found."_

Kiba kneeled, absently scratching Akamaru behind the ears. Looking down, he saw Sasuke move away from the gates. Kiba didn't stir when Sasuke looked pointedly up at him. Sasuke then turned away and Kiba continued to watch, as Sasuke disappeared, avoiding the lights of the club district and disappearing into an area that seemed to be forgotten by the lights of Konoha.

It was only a matter of time and Kiba wondered, when Sasuke would be found.

Shaking his head to himself, Kiba smiled; remembering something else Naruto had said and wondering why no one noticed that Naruto could be pretty darn smart sometimes.

"_We're always found – because we want to be."_

o-o-o-o-o

Neji's eyes narrowed behind his ANBU mask, cloud-colored eyes watched Sasuke walk through Konoha.

Coming back from guard duty, having just switched with Kiba, he made his way idly through Konoha, on his way back to the Hyuuga compound. As he made his way through roof tops, his eyes caught sight of Sasuke and something about the picture made him stop.

Neji was a Hyuuga. He saw what others could not. But in a clan that could see so much, the Hyuugas spent a lot of time turning away. He cherished his privacy – what privacy he could have, coming from the branch family – and so he respected the privacy of others. But something made him stop.

And he looked down below him, at Sasuke, who seemed oblivious to everything around him. He had never seen the Uchiha so distrait. But that wasn't what made him stop. He wasn't sure what made him stop. But he did. And he stood there, and watched Sasuke with eyes that could see almost everything; searching for something in the image before him.

Sasuke continued, jaded. And Neji continued to watch.

A short distance away, Naruto walked in the opposite direction; eyes fixed on the sky. Neji shifted subconsciously, crouching lower to the rooftop.

And then he saw it.

As the two passed each other, it was all there.

They did not touch, did not look at each other, did not turn away from or towards each other and to anyone who wasn't Hyuuga, it would seem that they hadn't even recognized each other at all.

But Neji was a Hyuuga and he could see what others could not.

And he saw it there, below him, as Sasuke and Naruto passed each other.

The sudden straightening of backs, the clenching of fists. The moment where, for a second, they were both taut and ready to snap.

And the silent agreement not to look at each other. He saw that.

And he saw it too, when they were almost out of each other's sights, Naruto turned his head a fraction – just a fraction – and paused. Naruto's fist had relaxed and his hand twitched. In his blue eyes: remembrance.

Naruto disappeared then and Sasuke was left alone. Neji saw the slant in Sasuke's eyes, a shifted gaze that seemed to clamor to look at the other.

It was all there.

And as Neji pulled away, he saw Sasuke's gaze lift up to the sky. Neji looked up too. And for once, he knew, someone could see what he could not.

o-o-o-o-o

_There was a clenching in his heart that he couldn't understand. And somewhere, at the back of his mind, he decided that perhaps it was better that he didn't understand it._

_There was a lot that he didn't understand just then._

_He didn't understand why Sasuke left. He didn't understand why Sasuke had tried to kill him._

_Most of all though, he didn't understand why he was still alive._

_All around him, the smell of rain hung low in the air and he was moving. He didn't bother to look at who carried him. He didn't really care._

_He just stared at nothing at all. He felt detached, just then. Hollow, somehow and yet so full he could have burst. He tried to make sense of everything but it was difficult._

_There was a lot that he didn't understand just then._

_He wanted to close his eyes. But when he did, he saw Sakura. How would he tell her that he couldn't bring Sasuke back? She was going to cry then. He knew. And he wouldn't know how to handle her tears._

_Tears he would understand all too well. She would be heartbroken. And right then, the clenching in his heart made sense._

_But everything else still remained a mystery. His eyes stung but remained dry. He couldn't cry. The tears remained in his chest and settled there, simmering in his heart, causing it to thrum dully against his ribs._

_The clenching in his heart made sense. A lot of sense._

_And he had never felt more alone in his life._


End file.
